Title
pliant spaces: yat, yih, saam, sei
Artists
Sarah Wong - Choreographer, Performer, Writer | Sammy Chien - Sound Designer, pliant spaces: yih | Tia Kushniruk - Artistic Advisor, pliant spaces: yih | Valley Tech Production Group Ltd. - Videography, pliant spaces: yih | Michelle Larsen - Textile artist, pliant spaces: sei | Justine A. Chambers - Mentor | Exhibition team: Kay Slater - Preparator Lead | Shanna Cheng - Preparator Assistant | Jamie Loh - Captions and transcriptions | Christopher Slater - Developer (web support) | Ladan Sahraei - Videographer
Exhibition
Past Echoes in the Present, New Works, Vancouver, 2021
About This Project
pliant spaces: yat, yih, saam, sei is influenced by my experience studying tai chi. Originally commissioned as a dance solo for the 2020 edition of Vines Art Festival, it has now been re-developed into a quartet of works for New Works’ exhibition Past Echoes in the Present in celebration of Asian Heritage Month. The quartet includes a film from the 2020 performance, a writing piece archiving the creative process, a walking meditation, and a textile-based installation. Touching on themes of ritual, transformation, and coexistence, this work is a love letter to the community I practice with and the environment I practice in. It records the early stages of my journey as I learn to carry the weight of preserving tradition. This work is a practice of showing up as I delicately balance my body in a shifting universe. It is dedicated to all the wise, beautiful and resilient Chinese elders.