Substation theatre, Singapore
23/06/2011 - 24/05/2011
for R.I.T.E.S (Routed in The Ephemeral Speak) festival curated by Lee Ween and Jason Lim
Third of a series of 8 hour long collective “inner travels” experiments
A few of those who got involved; Daniela Beltrani, Kim Criswell, Jason Lee, Elisabeth Lim, Acid Reef, Chand Chandramohan, Leon Chao Yang…
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
In Singapore the “inner travel” experiment was conducted as a prelude to my performance the next day, “The art of letting go (on the edges of language)”; an exercise in storytelling, weaving together personal, conceptual and whimsical concepts that might have led me to become a tourist guide for authentic travel and beyond.
Headlines and captions I collected from tourism advertising in newspapers and magasines, as textual scores: “get away from it all”, “creates one’s own paradise, “explore personal borders”,were used as Fluxus kind of prompt for action, in the air conditioned Substation dance studio. I led an 8 hours long indoor collective journey in the here and now during which we became producers rather than consumers of places and experiences. All images here are taken by participants while being lost in inner travels.
We finished the day in the famous Singapore Botanic garden an authentic tropical jungle, one of the oldest in the world, passers by often joining in naturally. The singapore, jungle fever, postcard video concluded my storytelling performance the next day.
singapore, jungle fever, postcard
Tour operator – MOItravel Inc. Team – R.I.T.E.S
Project funded by UCA research fund and Singapore art council
JUNGLE FEVER (wish you were here)
was initiated in 2011, originally as an attempt to reclaim Leisure and Tourism, by subverting the strategies of their consumption for collective explorations of personal borders, as if they were exotic or unchartered territory. The project has evolved in response to what fellow junglers contributed along the way. We are now concerned with a broader engagement with the everyday, advocating a creative and playful rather than a passive or consuming attitude.
It is inspired by Rober Filliou insightful words: “ Leisure will have an important role in society. .. The role of the artist is to promote the creative use of leisure and creativity as a way of life, but also as a weapon against alienation” (Teaching and learning as performing art, 1970.)