Comments on the Finalist

A father’s quotidian life is deconstructed and dispersed inside and outside the theater on Banciao’s Daguan Road—an iron gate, a scooter, seal carving, basketball, projected old photos are mixed with the creator’s physical and psychological state. “The concealed body” is perhaps the key concept observed in this dance. Apart from the mise en scène in the theatrical space as well as the precise control of relevant techniques, the ultimate achievement of Propositions on Disappearance III is its revelation of a more hidden, fundamental ethical issue about creation—how does art connect with “others”? Even if it is one’s father, this still presents a conundrum. In this dance, the most intimate “other-self” relationship is precisely transformed into a diffusing perception rather than being an overly concrete personal commemoration, making the work a powerful, fluid choreography. (Commentator: KAO Jun-Honn)

Artwork Introduction

Propositions on Disappearance is a creative series featuring solo dance and physical performance created by Yu Yen-Fang since 2011. This work, as the third episode of the series, takes a retrospective look on her personal life, and represents her father’s emotional network and interpersonal relations through simulating his intonation of speech and demonstrating his physical traits and customary labor, while reconstructing the place that her father had lived and the scenarios of his life. Combining various art forms, Yu perceives loss with body memory; and in the liminal transition between performance and daily life, on stage and off stage as well as representation and disappearance, the work becomes a dance for the artist to reunite with her father. In particular, Yu invites other theater professionals to join this project, gathering talents of music, graphic art, space, photography, lighting and choreography, to create a unique soundscape of daily life. Through the transitions and her solo dance, the work embodies and substantiates the body of her father.

About the Artist

YU Yen-Fang Yu Yen-Fang is an independent performer, creator and educator, whose practice has centered on contemporary social issues in Taiwan for years. Using her body as a medium for internalizing and projecting stories from this land and the life experiences therein, she transforms deeply felt emotions into abstract, poetic dance vocabularies. In 2013, she launched “Project MuoMuo,” a long-term project that trains young performers to work with interdisciplinary teams. Since 2017, she has set up “Workshop MuoMuo” to promote dance improvisation. Now an independent artist, she freely moves between her roles in creating dance, drama and live exhibition, and remains active in Taiwan and the international performing arts scene. Dark Eyes Performance Lab Dark Eyes Performance Lab was founded by Hung Hung, a poet, director, curator and art critic. Since its establishment, the theater company has been actively introducing original works as well as adapting world classics with innovative themes and forms. Most of their original works touch upon and provoke thinking about contemporary issues and social taboos, and shatter the barrier of theater viewing by bridging artistic experimentation and mass culture. Over the years, Dark Eyes Performance Lab has endeavored in expanding the boundaries of interdisciplinary and performance works while nurturing creative talents to collectively promote the core value of interdisciplinary art practice.