Performance — lololol

2023
expanded cinema, landscape performance
50mins

Mt. Jade is in Metamorphoses was developed as a collaboration between lololol, Shin Hanagata and Wang Yu-Jun.

Commissioned by Taipei Performing Arts Center in collaboration with Kyoto Art Center.

With the sporadic sounding of mechanical pulsations, you travel through the veins of plants to enter a technocratic city and its memory of the future. Here black water gushes between rock boulders, while a gust of wind stirs up sand and turns the skyscrapers in front of you into blocks of heated gold.

Multiple commands / archives / information as bodies / decode / generate / natural phenomena Artificial world / reproduction / resource allocation / functional reorganization / training paths / aggregation

Following "Sun Moon Lake is a Cement Box", a 2020 Taipei Arts Festival commission and shortlisted performance for the Taishin Art Award, lololol teams up with artist Shin Hanagata and musician Wang Yujun to explore emotional memory and technological consciousness through the human body, plants, images, experimental sound and song. What does the spiritual energy stored underneath our land reveal about the relationship between man and nature today, and of the memory tomorrow?

*Mt. Jade is in Metamorphoses is commissioned by Taipei Performing Arts Center in collaboration with Kyoto Art Center.

Scripture
How to be a plant
How to be a Keeper
How to live in a Concrete Box
Fire Cold Bloom
Taipei Performing Art Center Info

Shin Hanagata, Performance documentation from Mt. Jade is in Metamorphoses @Taipei Performing Arts Center. Photo: Chia-Yu Hung

Lin Tzu Ning, Performance documentation from Mt. Jade is in Metamorphoses @Taipei Performing Arts Center. Photo: Chia-Yu Hung

Shin Hanagata, Performance documentation from Mt. Jade is in Metamorphoses @Taipei Performing Arts Center. Photo: Chia-Yu Hung

Sheryl Cheung, Performance documentation from Mt. Jade is in Metamorphoses @Taipei Performing Arts Center. Photo: Chia-Yu Hung

Sheryl Cheung, Performance documentation from Mt. Jade is in Metamorphoses @Taipei Performing Arts Center. Photo: Jojo KAO

Performance documentation from Mt. Jade is in Metamorphoses @Taipei Performing Arts Center. Photo: Chia-Yu Hung

Wang Yu-Jun, Performance documentation from Mt. Jade is in Metamorphoses @Taipei Performing Arts Center. Photo: Chia-Yu Hung

Performance documentation from Mt. Jade is in Metamorphoses @Taipei Performing Arts Center. Photo: Chia-Yu Hung

《玉山是一個處理器》為藝術雙人組 lololol、花形槙與王榆鈞的合作作品

主創者
概念、執行導演、影像｜林亭君
聲音藝術家、演出｜張欣
行為藝術家｜花形槙
音樂藝術家、演出｜王榆鈞

執行製作｜張若涵
表演者｜林子寧、周蓉靖、Zito Tseng、詹凱安、湯譜生、Wahcee
前期技術統籌｜盧胤沂、何家寶
舞台技術統籌｜蕭育禮
舞台技術執行｜陳重佑、林煒庭、張喻涵、汪碧茹
藝術家助理｜今宿未悠
現場執行協力｜林佑運、徐敏芳
影像動作攝影｜李明憲
演出錄影紀錄｜陳君典、欒誠偉
平面攝影｜洪嘉瑜、高倩怡
主視覺設計｜ scbc
行政經理｜劉倢婷
演出製作｜ Future Tao

合作單位｜京都藝術中心

感謝名單：臺大植物標本館館長胡哲明教授、臺大植物標本館研究專員鄭憲燦、陳科廷、馬懷碩、麟光站黃阿姨、張芝明、好好拍影業、宗宸放映、SHAO YEN、黑鵝摩沙、Tyker、張皓閔、張允、尖蚪

贊助單位｜瑞芳青雲殿
植栽捐贈｜柳敬恆、林昆鋒、滿園苑、裏山
景觀設計｜裏山、一攬芳華
特別感謝｜花巢、本木、有夠亮有限公司

主辦單位｜臺北市政府
承辦單位｜臺北表演藝術中心

'Mt. Jade is in Metamorphoses' was developed as a collaboration between lololol, Shin Hanagata and Wang Yu-Jun

Lead Artist
Concept, Executive Director and Video: Xia Lin
Sound Composition, Performer: Sheryl Cheung
Performance Artist: Shin Hanagata
Music Artist, Performer: Wang Yu-Jun

Executive Producer: Johan Chang
Performers: Lin Tzu Ning, Jung Ching Zhou, Zito Tseng, Chan-Kai An, Pusheng Tang, Wahcee
Technical Coordination (Pre-Production): Yan-Yi Lo, Cathy Ho
Stage and Technical Coordination: Yu-Li Hsiao
Stage Crew: Chong-You Chen, Wei-Ting Lin, Yu-Han Zhang, Bi-Ru Wang
Artist Assistant: Mew Imashuku
Production Assistant: Yuyung Lin, Carol Hsu
Action Cinematography: Mark Lee
Live Recording: Chun-tien Chen, Mickey C Luan
Still Photography: Chia-Yu Hung、Jojo KAO
Art Design: scbc
Administrative Manager: Chieh-Ting Liu
Production: Future Tao

Commissioned by Taipei Performing Arts Center in collaboration with Kyoto Art Center.

Thanks to: NTU herbarium Curator Dr. Jer-Ming Hu, NTU herbarium Research Assistant M.Sc. Shian-Tsan Geng, Keting Chen, MA Huai-Shuo, Ms. Huang, Ming Ming, Hao Hao Film Co., Ltd., Pzong Chern Enterprise Co., Ltd., SHAO YEN, HAIRMOSA.LAB, Tyker, Min, Yun Chang, Tadpole Point

Sponsor: Ruifang Qing Yun Temple
Plant Donation: Liu, Jing-HengｘLin,Kun-FongｘManyuanyuan x Urayama
Landscape Design: Urayama x Yilanfanghua
Special Thanks to: Flower Nest x Mue x So Bright Professional Lighting & Audio Co., LTD

Organizer: Taipei City Government
Implemeter: Taipei Performing Arts Center

2024
Video and sound installation (Aquarium, plants, lights, screen)
Dimensions variable

‘Sun Moon Lake is a Concrete Box’ was developed as a collaboration between lololol and Liam Morgan. Commissioned by Taipei Performing Arts Center and presented in Taipei Arts Festival 2020.

Sun Moon Lake is a Concrete Box: Revisited is a work that partitions a synesthetic space, drawing inspiration from the vague mental images one experiences while contemplating nature. Screen images, artificially installed plant pots and water tanks, and images projected by projectors intermingle with light, video, sound, and even the physical properties of objects. They rely on imagination fueled by the transformations of images and their unexpected combinations. The performance, in particular, emanates a spiritual energy that envelops the space. By attaching an electrocardiogram to plant leaves and reinterpreting the resulting waves, the artist attempts to communicate as a neo-shaman, channeling the spirit of a tree. While attaching an ECG to a plant without a heart deviates from the usual context, the rhythm of the waves, the ambient sound, and the video sequence correspond with each other, guiding the audience into a unique, cyberpunk-esque, mystical atmosphere of meditation. Drifting is an event encountered by chance during a voyage. However, it allows for unexpected, rich experiences and sensory perceptions. The images explored by lololol are measured by the vastness of their imaginative halo. Their vagueness and openness create opportunities for new experiences.

—— Jeju Biennale Curatorial Director, Kang Jeauk

Artist: lololol x Liam Morgan
Directed by Xia Lin, Sheryl Cheung and Liam Morgan
Sound Composition, Live Performance: Sheryl Cheung
Cinematography: Liam Morgan
Actor: Shen Xin-Ru

Installation View of Sun Moon Lake is a Concrete Box: Revisited. Courtesy the Artist and Jeju Biennale.

Installation iew of Sun Moon Lake is a Concrete Box: Revisited. Courtesy the Artist | Photo: Solid Art / ANPI

Doumentation of Sun Moon Lake is a Concrete Box: Revisited Live performance. Sound Performance: Sheryl Cheung. Courtesy the Artist and Jeju Biennale.

Installation View of Sun Moon Lake is a Concrete Box: Revisited. Courtesy the Artist | Photo: Solid Art / ANPIS FOTO

2020
expanded cinema, landscape performance
60mins

'Sun Moon Lake is a Concrete Box' was developed as a collaboration between Xia Lin, Sheryl Cheung and Liam Morgan.

Commissioned by Taipei Performing Arts Center and presented in Taipei Arts Festival 2020.

‘On days that we couldn't go out, I would sit on the floor, looking out the windows. They are rose- coloured from layers of heavy film pressed between layers of thick glass to keep us safe. Any landscape would look romantic through that tint. But our view of the river was blocked by an abandoned waste-treatment plant; my gaze could only trace the curves of rusty steel pipes that carried a river of human faeces from the city to the plant underneath the old public park, where it looped round and round in something like a giant robot’s intestines. But that flow stopped a long time ago...’

Artists Xia Lin and Sheryl Cheung and Liam Morgan take us on a journey that meditates on the natural environs and then a haptic chamber of light-, film-, sonic- and plant- installation. A reflection on days past, a dwelling on the uncertain present, an intimation into a physically-distant yet familiar future.

Performance Script
Map

Reviews
Taishin Arts Award Finalists - Sun Moon Lake is a Concrete Box
第19屆台新藝術獎 - 藝術家訪談篇《日月潭是一個水泥盒》/採訪及文字整理：馮馨
台新ARTalks｜《日月潭是一個水泥盒》污水在紅色的燈光下露出詭異的表情 / 黃大旺
表演藝術評論台｜重回人間，如何為人？《日月潭是一個水泥盒》 / 楊智翔
表演藝術評論台｜比自然更自然的盆景美學《日月潭是一個水泥盒》 / 王墨林
中時新聞網｜疫情間被隔離太孤獨藝術家帶觀眾聽植物的聲音 / 李欣恬
蕃薯藤Yam New｜日月潭是一個水泥盒探究人與環境的關係 / 陳小凌
誠品空中閱覽室 eslite on Air｜想像，移動
Taipei Arts Festival, Sun Moon Lake is a Concrete Box

Taipei Arts Festival 2020, Performance documentation from Sun Moon Lake is a Concrete Box, 2020
@Taipei Dihua Sewage Treatment Plant & Taipei Backstage Pool. Photo: Hsin-Che LEE

Xia Lin, Performance documentation from Sun Moon Lake is a Concrete Box, 2020. Photo: Hsin-Che LEE

Performance documentation from Sun Moon Lake is a Concrete Box, 2020. Photo: Hsin-Che LEE

Shen Xin-Ru, Video Still of Sun Moon Lake is a Concrete Box, 2020.

Video Still of Sun Moon Lake is a Concrete Box, 2020.

Liam Morgan, Performance documentation from Sun Moon Lake is a Concrete Box. Photo: Hsin-Che LEE

Performance documentation from Sun Moon Lake is a Concrete Box, 2020. Photo: Hsin-Che LEE

Sheryl Cheung, Performance documentation from Sun Moon Lake is a Concrete Box, 2020. Photo: Hsin-Che LEE

Sheryl Cheung, Performance documentation from Sun Moon Lake is a Concrete Box, 2020. Photo: Hsin-Che L

Performance documentation from Sun Moon Lake is a Concrete Box. Photo: Hsin-Che LEE

Bai, Performance documentation from Sun Moon Lake is a Concrete Box. Photo: Hsin-Che LEE

Performance documentation from Sun Moon Lake is a Concrete Box, 2020. Photo: Hsin-Che LEE

'Sun Moon Lake is a Concrete Box' was developed as a collaboration
between Xia Lin, Sheryl Cheung and Liam Morgan

In order of Appearance:

Xia Lin as A Lake
Bai as A Tree
Shen Xin-Ru as "San"
Chen Jun-Liang as "Large Man"
Sheryl Cheung as Sheryl Cheung
Producer: Liao Chih-Han
Film Producer: Liam Morgan
Written by Liam Morgan, Sheryl Cheung and Xia Lin
Dramaturge: Tang Fu Kuen

Film Director, Cinematographer & Editor: Liam Morgan
Sound Composition: Sheryl Cheung
Stage Technitions: Jason Ju, Steph Lo YY-Lo, Lee Tek-Khean
1st Assistant Director (film): Shake Shake
1st Assistant Camera: Chen Bo-Rui
2nd Assistant Camera: Pei Chi-Wei, Chen Hao-Yao
Post Producer: Wade Ding
VFX Artists: Lu Yung Fung, Jeremy Kuo
Foley Artists: Liam Morgan, Sophie Chen, Alex Boyessen, Hjalmar Hjorth Boyesen
Additional Sound recording: Alex Boyessen, Hjamlar Boyessen, Sophie Chen
Foley Editor: Liam Morgan

Special thanks to:
Canadian Trade Office in Taipei
Dihua Sewage Treatment Plant Sewerage Systems Office of the Public Works Department of Taipei City Government
Shadow Magic Films
Changfu Gardening Co., Ltd.
Sika Films Co., Ltd.
Digital Art Center, Taipei
Aurora Lighting Engineering Co., Ltd.
Digital Mixes Co., Ltd.
Scott Mei
Bruce Lee
Lin-Hui Huang
Margy Hwang
Elly Lee

Commissioned by Taipei Performing Arts Center and presented in Taipei Arts Festival 2020.

2021
Online performance
60 min

2021 Experimental Documentary
10 min 30 sec

A series of alchemical recipes for attuning that is at the same time mythological, medicinal, and revealing of a cosmological order. To relieve an overflow of shadows in the melancholy lungs, to re-order the emotive in stagnated waters, to keep dexterity and flow and mobility of life. This piece borrows from the spirit of 12th-century Immortal Sister Sun Bu-er infused with Taiwan’s national recommendation of anti-covid herbal tea.

Performance documentation from Clear Calm Free Human.

Performance documentation.

Performance documentation from Clear Calm Free Human.

Sheryl Cheung, Online performance documentation.

2019
Scripture, Herbal Medicine, Speakers, Experimental Music Original version
Dimensions variable

The dragon submerges into turbulent waves to ease troubled waters. The dragon as cinnamon twigs, as ephedra, as peony root, as dried ginger, as asarum, schizandra, penillia and a dash of honey-fried licorice. An aromatic recipe that is at the same time mythological, medicinal, and revealing of a cosmological order, and in this world, a performative score is vivid, ambiguous yet tangible, constantly changing, guided by a calculation of botanical powers, a dynamic design to restore estranged morality, to qualm an emotional flooding in the lungs, to shudder the sorrow that sprouts in stagnated waters, to keep dexterity and flow and mobility of life.

A view of the body, in which forms are implicitly inferred to by relationships, resonates with a specific kind of expanded listening first introduced to me by a Chinese medicine shop owner, who offers poetry as his preferred form of remedy after intuited reading of one’s emotional and physical body. A key term here is wen (聞), a rather open sensory concept that is fundamental in traditional clinical practices—to smell, to hear, to intuit, to catch wind of. Little dragon soup is an exercise of abstract scoring, sound, and kinetics that speak to the body as a micro-universe.

2019
Site-specific performance, Expanded cinema
45mins
2019

A collaboration Project with UK based artist George Clark. Organized by Animist Apparatus

A four day program of participatory park walks, workshops, and performances in Berwick, UK—on the border of England and Scotland, it was a site connected to borders of existing and non-existing, as Clark put it. Here we encountered a spotted sycamore tree undergoing seasonal change, an old film projector and collectable sound machines, the resonance of a cobblestone tunnel, machine inspired movements with film professionals, body mapping in a gym-turned gallery space, and a night of experimental film, sound, movement and readings indoors and outdoors on a brilliantly dark night.

Performance documentation from Double Ghosts x Future Tao, The Gymnasium Gallery, Berwick, UK . Photo: Berwick Film and Media Arts Festival / Erika Stevenson

Sheryl Cheung, Performance documentation from Double Ghosts x Future Tao, The Gymnasium Gallery, Berwick, UK . Photo: Berwick Film and Media Arts Festival / Erika Stevenson

George Clark, Performance documentation from Double Ghosts x Future Tao, The Gymnasium Gallery, Berwick, UK . Photo: Berwick Film and Media Arts Festival / Erika Stevenson

Xia Lin, Performance documentation from Double Ghosts x Future Tao, The Gymnasium Gallery, Berwick, UK . Photo: Berwick Film and Media Arts Festival / Erika Stevenson

2019
Interdisciplinary Performance
40mins

A collaboration Project with Bangkok based artist Henry Tan and artist Huang Ding Yun.

The Naga is a mythological creature that governs the waters-moderates the heat and cold in our bodies and the world. A new dam has currentl dried out the rivers of Northern Thailand. By the power of Naga, let us reconsider our relationship with climate change in an exercise of collective temperature modulation in our bodies, our emotions, our minds.

Performance documentation from Songs of the Naga Cave, @Dadaocheng Theater, Taipei, Photo by Wahn Pi Cheng.

2024
Daily capture, generative images, digital print
A set of ten images, each measuring 40x40cm.

100年後影子專家的工作，為了讓這個世界更真實一些，他們在各種檔案中採掘影子，試著從影子描繪出原本的實體。

在不能出門的日子，每天下午5:30夕陽照映在磨砂玻璃窗上。專家將夕陽拍攝下來，日復一日檔案在累積的噪音之中慢慢變化，於有序與無序的過程之中回憶新的風景。

In 100 years, the job of a shadow expert is to decipher original forms from their shadows. In order to make the world feel a bit more real, they scavenge through various files mining for shades and traces to do their job.

On days they could not go out, the experts photograph the imprint of sunsets that shine on their frosted window glass every 5:30pm. Over time, these image files slowly accumulate noise and change, and remember unknown landscapes between order and chaos.

Installation View of Shadow Expert. Courtesy the Artist and Solid Art | Photo: ANPIS FOTO

2017
Live Performance
30mins

A collaboration with Taichi Master Yan Sheng-Yuan.

Taichi, a seemingly passive but internally vigorous form of martial arts that stresses on flow between mind and body, human and universe. Qi, as an ancient yet highly ambiguous energy that connects all things together, can be perhaps linked to Lebniz's theory of a spirit of matter, a kind of material motivation that generates kinetic loss and gain between interconnected parts of the whole. Through this experiment, we hope to find new meanings of Taoist spiritual practices in contemporary life.

Performance documentation from Future Tao, Taichi Master Yan Sheng-Yuan, @Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Photo Courtesy Taipei Fine Arts Museum.

Performance documentation from Future Tao, Artist Sheryl Cheung, @Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Photo Courtesy Taipei Fine Arts Museum.

Performance documentation from Future Tao @Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Photo Courtesy Taipei Fine Arts Museum.

Performance documentation from Future Tao, Taichi Master Yan Sheng-Yuan, @Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Photo Courtesy Taipei Fine Arts