An ongoing experiment on drama, theatricality, puppetry, and performative bodies. Deconstructed. Immersive. A Changeling.
"Constipated liberation
Today, I saw them again
ghosts of the Past
Illuminations!
Illusions?
Maybe they weren't there
Maybe they didn't exist at all
...
Maybe I'm imagining things
Maybe I'm crazy
Because I see ghosts
of the past
illusions from a chapter of happily-ever-after that was never
tomorrow, I will see the ghosts again
waiting
waiting
on the sideline of our history
under the burial ground of our freedom
waiting
waiting for the promised promise of liberty
for the justified justice of the dreamed dreams of our people's people. "
burn/city is a deeply personal project, conceived from autobiographical accounts and imagined narratives, facts and propagandas, personal history and collective memory, the gigantic and miniature. And for the past two years, through development in A Space (Vietnam) and Rimbun Dahan (Malaysia), this has been an ongoing experiment/ research on grief and ritualistic behaviors.
In 2020, as part of the virtual puppet festival Pesta Boneka held biannually by Papermoon Puppet Theatre, I presented an episode from burn/city that combines footage shot entirely by audience members, with texts and recordings collected over the years.
