2005-02-22 11:00:32Richard Chua
Old Paths, White Clouds - The Fun Stage Fringe 05
It is timely (Low) Yuen Wei and (Chan) Yi Wen of In Source Theatre come together to reflect on the state of human condition in the present society. Old Paths, White Clouds (although the title nor the central theme of the piece have any references to the responses they have) provided a platform for audiences to understand, appreciate and reflect on what humanity has become in the world. The video footage of their trip to Nepal, which provided more than what Yuen Wei and Yi Wen could have excavated, strikes a resonance with me. Looking like Toa Payoh in the sixties, Nepal has been slow in its progress (both economically and socially) as compared to Singapore and other developed countries. But, it retained a certain sense of simplicity no longer present in other countries. Singapore, for one, has lost it. As Singaporean artists, there is an avenue for Yuen Wei and Yi Wen to try find back that "simplicity of life (humanity)".
As a matter of choice, Yuen Wei and Yi Wen decided to choose to work on the development of the human condition through discovery. To put it in a nutshell, the path of exploration, seeing what has happened in Nepal, seeking for something, realising the simplicity of life, cultivating the sense of peace in OM, enjoying the colours, healing of our wounds or human conditions and lastly, a dedication to nature.
Different forms of folk art have been employed. Drum, martial art movements, Buddhist bells and chants are present, but employed with little effectiveness. The journey could have been even more meditative through the use of one specific form of folk art. The beauty of every folk art is its ability to express sentiments in the most direct manner. Yuen Wei and Yi Wen's movements have failed to reach that level of simplicity. Choreography took centrestage as Yuen Wei performed the routine with the pole, while Yi Wen, through her flips and turns, exhibited her attempt to accomplish the moves with some difficulty. Chants did not reach the state of meditation, as Yi Wen clearly lacked the stamina to hold the notes consistently, resulting in breaks in between.
I would pretty much want to feel, at a more basic level, folk songs ringing through the piece. There was a couple of instances showing the group (In Source Theatre) chanting songs that provided peace in the temple. Unfortunately, these songs were not fully utilised. Furthermore, the state of tranquility experienced on the trip was not present in the piece either. The song they composed which celebrated the simplicity of life through love came across as childish, more than child-like. It was a constructed piece of healing. It was even more apparent when Yuen Wei and Yi Wen went into a frenzy, obsessed with the notion of praying, while the video footage showed monks praying with great ease and faith. The message was blurred; is there supposedly violence in praying? It came across as praying serving as an avenue to fill the void of human insecurity. Their performance stopped short at being trying to hard to reach the level of healing.
This piece of theatre could have been more potent and powerful, simply through the use of simple folk art; folk art anchoring on nature as its main source of inspiration. In Source theatre, no doubt, has taken on a difficult path as compared to other theatre companies in Singapore, to discover folk art as a basic form of theatre. But, they will eventually get peace, as everything in life returns to nature. Nature is the creator of all life-forms. Human beings, given the ability to think, have grown tired of nature and started constructing fixtures that help advance life and living. Are we able to find nature in the constructed environment we are living in right now? Clearly, we could not. We claimed helplessness when the South Indian Ocean Tsunami struck, and not remembering man-made disasters such as the world wars, which in total killed more people than what a natural disaster could take. I thank Mr Jenadas Devan for his column in The Straits Times highlighting the wrong accusations we have given to nature (1). Nature is simple, but yet complex beyond anyone's understanding. In Source theatre should carry on its work. The process takes years of training, all to try perfect a folk art. It requires skills and perseverance. In Source theatre, clearly, knows what they want. But, it is beyond Singaporeans to try understand it.
Notes:
(1) For further reading, The Straits Times columnist Mr Jenadas Devan's article Who is deadlier; Man or Mother Nature?, 15th January 2005. Article could be located at (http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/sub/ourcolumnists/story/0,5574,295735--145,00.html?)
As a matter of choice, Yuen Wei and Yi Wen decided to choose to work on the development of the human condition through discovery. To put it in a nutshell, the path of exploration, seeing what has happened in Nepal, seeking for something, realising the simplicity of life, cultivating the sense of peace in OM, enjoying the colours, healing of our wounds or human conditions and lastly, a dedication to nature.
Different forms of folk art have been employed. Drum, martial art movements, Buddhist bells and chants are present, but employed with little effectiveness. The journey could have been even more meditative through the use of one specific form of folk art. The beauty of every folk art is its ability to express sentiments in the most direct manner. Yuen Wei and Yi Wen's movements have failed to reach that level of simplicity. Choreography took centrestage as Yuen Wei performed the routine with the pole, while Yi Wen, through her flips and turns, exhibited her attempt to accomplish the moves with some difficulty. Chants did not reach the state of meditation, as Yi Wen clearly lacked the stamina to hold the notes consistently, resulting in breaks in between.
I would pretty much want to feel, at a more basic level, folk songs ringing through the piece. There was a couple of instances showing the group (In Source Theatre) chanting songs that provided peace in the temple. Unfortunately, these songs were not fully utilised. Furthermore, the state of tranquility experienced on the trip was not present in the piece either. The song they composed which celebrated the simplicity of life through love came across as childish, more than child-like. It was a constructed piece of healing. It was even more apparent when Yuen Wei and Yi Wen went into a frenzy, obsessed with the notion of praying, while the video footage showed monks praying with great ease and faith. The message was blurred; is there supposedly violence in praying? It came across as praying serving as an avenue to fill the void of human insecurity. Their performance stopped short at being trying to hard to reach the level of healing.
This piece of theatre could have been more potent and powerful, simply through the use of simple folk art; folk art anchoring on nature as its main source of inspiration. In Source theatre, no doubt, has taken on a difficult path as compared to other theatre companies in Singapore, to discover folk art as a basic form of theatre. But, they will eventually get peace, as everything in life returns to nature. Nature is the creator of all life-forms. Human beings, given the ability to think, have grown tired of nature and started constructing fixtures that help advance life and living. Are we able to find nature in the constructed environment we are living in right now? Clearly, we could not. We claimed helplessness when the South Indian Ocean Tsunami struck, and not remembering man-made disasters such as the world wars, which in total killed more people than what a natural disaster could take. I thank Mr Jenadas Devan for his column in The Straits Times highlighting the wrong accusations we have given to nature (1). Nature is simple, but yet complex beyond anyone's understanding. In Source theatre should carry on its work. The process takes years of training, all to try perfect a folk art. It requires skills and perseverance. In Source theatre, clearly, knows what they want. But, it is beyond Singaporeans to try understand it.
Notes:
(1) For further reading, The Straits Times columnist Mr Jenadas Devan's article Who is deadlier; Man or Mother Nature?, 15th January 2005. Article could be located at (http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/sub/ourcolumnists/story/0,5574,295735--145,00.html?)