What did Mother not tell me

_{[What did Mother not tell me?]}

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^{stage + sound + poetry + installation + performance

@ Tai Kwun Center for Heritage and Arts, JC Cube, HK

supported by Tai Kwun Contemporary}

^{installation/stage shot}

^{Cast + Crew
Director, Installation, Poetry reading: IV Chan

Live musicians: VunkwanTam, Little girl and her mother
Performer: little girl

lighting designer: Lai Bie

Sound Mixer: Jacklam Ho

Curator and coordinator: Jasmine Cheung, Veronica Wong}

^{Run down of Live performance ( approx. 1 hr ) :

-1 handsewn soft toy- baby rattle as a gift to the audiences before entrance

-2 audiences enter installation (w/sound piece : “ Mother Calling “)

-3 little girl and her mother playing the kalimba (tune : “ twinkle twinkle little star “)

-4 audiences exit stage and settle in their seats

-5 Light change, musician enters to center stage, his back to the audiences, live music begins

-6 little girl enters stage with an illuminated sphere, places it inside the washing machine, turns on machine, illuminated sphere spinning inside the machine, little girl leaves stage

-7 Light change, I begin to read my poem “ Mother Monster ”

-8 little girl re-enters stage, turns off washing machine, takes out the illuminated sphere, carrys it off stage

-9 Light change, musician ends his music, leaves stage

-10 Light projection on the side wall, fades out

End.

sound piece > “Mother Calling”

photo documentation of performance :

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^{details of installation}

Dear Mother - Memories

Dear Mother - Monologue

Dear Mother - Melancholy

Dear Mother - Melody

Dear Mother - Meanings

Dear Mother - Monster

Dear Mother - Meaningless

Dear Mother - Manifesto

Dear Mother - Mythology

Dear Mother - Moonlight

Dear Mother - Mountains

Dear Mother - Mediation

Dear Mother - Madonna

Dear Mother - Masculine

Dear Mother - Marriage

Dear Mother - Mannequins

Dear Mother - Melodrama

Dear Mother - Mensuration

Dear Mother - Masturbation

Dear Mother - Madness

Dear Mother - Manners

Dear Mother - Mumbling

Dear Mother - Middle finger

Dear Mother - Molest

Dear Mother - Modernity

Dear Mother - Machines

Dear Mother - Malfunction

Dear Mother - Metamorphosis

Dear Mother - Metaphysical

Dear Mother - Mutations

Dear Mother - Mourning

Dear Mother - Minority

Dear Mother - Map

Dear Mother - Mandala

Dear Mother - Moments

Dear Mother - Movements

Dear Mother - Migration

Dear Mother - Mortal

Dear Mother - Morality

Dear Mother - Mobility

Dear Mother - Misbehave

Dear Mother - Meow

Dear Mother - Malicious

Dear Mother - Misunderstanding

Dear Mother - Merry Christmas

Dear Mother - Mojito

Dear Mother - Marsh Mellow

Dear Mother - Mint Chocolate

Dear Mother - Magic

Dear Mother - Mercy

Dear Mother - Miracle

Dear Mother - Modest

Dear Mother - Mozart

Dear Mother - Magritte

Dear Mother - Mondays

Dear Mother - Monuments

Dear Mother - Membrane

Dear Mother - Medicine

Dear Mother - Miserable

Dear Mother - Materials

Dear Mother - Matters

Dear Mother - Mistakes

Dear Mother - Magnificence

Dear Mother - Misfortune

Dear Mother - Maintenance

Dear Mother - Motivations

Dear Mother - Malleability

Dear Mother - Malaise

Dear Mother - Massacre

Dear Mother - Murder

Dear Mother - Mask

Dear Mother - Milk

Dear Mother - Maids

Dear Mother - Moods

Dear Mother - Military

Dear Mother - Moisture

Dear Mother - Melting

Dear Mother - Massive

Dear Mother - Mercury

Dear Mother - Murky

Dear Mother - Mockery

Dear Mother - Momentum

Dear Mother - Marginal

Dear Mother - Muse

Dear Mother - Mona Lisa

Dear Mother - Maniac

Dear Mother - Moron

Dear Mother - Mundane

Dear Mother - Morbid

Dear Mother - Multiples

Dear Mother - Many

Dear Mother - More

.

.

How are you?

Are you?

How?

I dreamt of you and

the archways (that we all passed through).

I think that was you going through the archways in the building. It turned out to be me. Needles and threads. Penetrating. In and out. Up and down. You did not slow down. Sweat under your armpits. Shown. Audacious and shameless. The courteous smile on your face. Was that an implication? You were busy delivering clean uniforms up, stained ones down. They appeared…. much taller than you. Were you not afraid? Your arms were fully stretched to make sure they were embraced and elevated. Clean or stained. You did not slow down. It must be the humid weather of the island. The lingering odor of punishment and discipline filled the air. Holding your breath, you delivered the leather boots swiftly. Polished. Slender fingers were reluctant and shy at first, later they were wide spread to their limits. For those feet. Are you also a surrealist? Its sacred and lowly position. Our feet. How many miles did we travel together? To create our nostalgia. You did not slow down, or did i? But this time you were delivering…. me. You haul the innocent up to the top, we leaned against the wooden window sill. I saw in your eyes the reflections of those shooting fireworks , or is it merely the shimmering light of the stars, as you quietly gazed into the immense darkness of the universe.

IV Chan/Nov18, 2021/ JC Cube, Tai Kwun, HK

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[What did Mother not tell me?]

_{[What did Mother not tell me?]}