Title
pliant spaces: yat, yih, saam, sei
Artists
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
New Works, Past Echoes in the Present, May 2021 Installation location: Carousel Theatre for Young People, Vancouver
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.