Infinity Minus One —2018 Taiwan International Festival of Arts
YiLab. SU Wen-Chi
Date：2018.03.02
Venue：National Theatre & Concert Hall
Comments on the Finalist
Su Wen-Chi continues the combination of dance and technology art, and employs mature and refined artistic approaches to explore the grand philosophical question regarding the relationship between the microcosm of human existence and the macrocosm that is the infinite universe. The entire performance space is filled with endless, powerful energies as the sounds of the most primitive shamanistic incantation and shouts, the light of the most advanced laser beam and the ritualistic physical movement are woven into an eternal quest. Within this atmosphere, the precisely controlled and slowly moving laser beam no longer feels cold but conveys a sense of poetry through its movement of mathematical precision. This piece, therefore, cannot be simply defined as a dance performance; it should be considered a contemporary performance that perfectly unites various forms of art.
(Commentator: LIN Jing-Jie)
Artwork Introduction
After being selected as artist-in-residence by Accelerate@CERN in 2016, choreographer Su Wen-Chi has been developing her research project, entitled Rainbow Trilogy, to further explore and experiment ideas and inspirations gained in the institution. After Unconditional Love and Fact, for the second piece of the project, Infinity Minus One, Su drew inspiration from the basic experiment, called Cloud Chamber, and contemplated on how to embody on the human scale the two concepts – “particle” and “universe” – which lie at two extremes, with the particle being the smallest on a scale while the universe the largest, and to extend the concepts to the exploration of physical movement. This work discusses how “infinity” can be expressed in a performance while addressing artists’ infinite quests in the expression and understanding of media as well as how the origin of the universe factors into such quests. In addition to collaborating with Taiwanese artists, Su also invited Indonesian and Japanese artists to participate in the creation, looking at the human inner cosmos through various approaches, including primitive physicality, chanting and the formation of image.
About the Artist
YiLab. SU Wen-Chi
In 2005, choreographer Su Wen-Chi founded YiLab with the objective to experiment on integrating performing arts with new media art as a way to extensively pose questions about and reflect on the impacts brought on by the digital age in the contemporary art scene. One of the creative ideals the dance company upholds is: there should be no dominant medium in a work, but concepts that seem similar yet collide with one another. Each of the collaborating artists in a work remains independent and is free to propose different perspectives to tackle the core issues explored in the work. The dance company has been invited to perform in numerous art festivals in Taiwan and abroad and has received much international recognition. Su is the recipient of the Jury’s Special Award in the 8th Taishin Arts Award and the Gold Award in Alternative Design in the 2017 World Stage Design.
Production Team
Concept & Choreography | SU Wen-chi
Live Music | Senyawa
Performance | Danang Pamungkas, Luluk Ari Prasetyo
Light Design | Ryoya Fudetani
Installation Design | CHIU Chao-tsai, CHANG Huei-ming, LIAO Chi-yu
Costume Design | ZEIGARNIQ
Costume Assistant | YU Cheng-zong
Sound Technical Associate | WU Ping-sheng
Creative Partner | CHOW Ling-chih
Stage Manager | TENG Hsiang-ting
Master Electrician | LIU Po-hsin
Sound Master | YEN Hsing-yang
Technician | LIN Jim-yi、CHEN Wen-chen、CHANG Yao-wen、
HUANG Nan-chih
Photography | Etang CHEN
Filming | Grain Studio
Producer | SUN Ping
Associate Producer | WU Ko-Yun
Thanks to the support of |
Ministry of Culture, Taiwan
ACCELERATE Taiwan | Arts@CERN、National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC), TAIWAN
Center of Advancement of Science Education, TAIWAN
Performance Space, Sydney
Commissioned by National Performing Arts Center - National Theater & Concert Hall TAIWAN.
Produced during the artist’s residency at the National Performing Arts Center - National Theater & Concert Hall TAIWAN
左起 張暉明、廖祈羽、蘇文琪、邱昭財
宇宙理論中，當今所有時空存在與物質世界都源於大爆炸（big bang），由體積無限小、密度引力無限大、溫度無限高的奇點（singulariy）自外膨脹而成。然而，太初以前又有何物？量子物理學與弦理論推測「平行宇宙」的存在，現處時空只是多重宇宙中的其一、時間長河裡的一瞬，而那大爆炸的起點，也不過是無限存在裡的一個頓點。世界的生成、存在的起源，這大哉問吸引成千上萬科學家投入鑽研，而來到藝術家身上，這對「萬物的理論」的哲思，是否也有相通之處？「無限」又如何能夠被各種藝術類型表述？
探向無限之前
2016年，蘇文琪前往瑞士歐洲核子研究組織（CERN）「藝術加速」計畫駐村，期間她密集和科學家談論各種話題，其中之一便是「宇宙大爆炸」。科學家告訴她，宇宙大爆炸是所有物質世界的源起、時空的出發，她進而探問，「若將這個點當作世界起源，那麽這個點之前，到底發生了什麼？」科學家半開玩笑回答，「那就是infinity minus one。」
從無限的奇點回溯，在科學臆測裡的確存在，依此哲思，所謂起點，以及過去、現在、未來，都既在也不在。從點到無限，從現今物質世界最小的單位粒子，到廣袤無垠甚至無限複有的宇宙，科技的想像與龐大探問啟發著藝術家，延續彩虹三部曲的第二部《從無止境回首》（infinity minus one）自此發展：「我在想，這作品是能量強大的聚集點，大到可以衝擊我們，去想像『我們從哪裡來』？又或者，身為藝術家，最源頭要碰觸的，又是什麼？」
蘇文琪眼中，無止境（Infinity）兼具兩個時空方向，無止境的過去（Infinity minus ∞ -）與無止境的未來（Infinity plus ∞ +），人則位在兩者之間。《從無止境回首》的目標，便是跟團隊在空間與時間兩大軸線上，一起架構萬物的連結性與心中的宇宙圖像。她找來印尼實驗樂團Senyawa，加上印尼舞者Danang Pamungkas、Luluk Ari Prasetyo參與，舞台與影像裝置則由三位視覺藝術家邱昭財、張暉明、廖祈羽共同合作。先從音樂、舞蹈發展作品，再加入新媒體藝術家及燈光設計的想法激盪。「包括樂手、舞者、新媒體藝術家還有燈光設計，每位藝術家都要先分頭思考『無限如何結合到永恆』？如何從他們的媒材，回應這個龐大題目？」
將太初之始連結到無限
在各自思考實驗過程中，蘇文琪觀察著藝術家發展的模組，再從中找尋接軌之處。肢體方面，將舞蹈和密不可分的「宗教」起源連結，而具印尼宮廷舞傳統背景的舞者，身體質地正帶有強烈儀式連結。Senyawa樂團以人聲與樂器共振的強烈音樂風格，創造強大包覆力場，讓感官思緒化為近似凝止的永恆。三位台灣藝術家則將各自對於時空、幾何、視覺的創作思維，帶入視覺呈現。張暉明表示，藝術表現手法，基於過程大量科學資訊交流與對應個人生活的討論；邱昭財則說明，面對舞者跟樂手聚合的強大能量，三人思考，舞台空間應與之對抗或有其他可能？最後，相對音樂舞蹈的強烈炙熱，三人選擇冷靜的雷射動力裝置處理，以光束投射出空間尺度，再以反射鏡折射複雜維度，也加入時間軸線。
最終呈現的作品，由Senyawa樂團以模糊喉音到不斷重複如咒語般的印尼語唸禱開啟，內容意指「將所有命名從地球上帶走」。兩位舞者則變換著姿勢組合，隱喻不同宗教的祈禱，再慢慢從兩人虔誠形象，轉換至人與神祇，由互相祝禱走向對抗。在吉他獨奏與自製樂器的音效中，舞台雷射光束先跟著舞者身體移動，逐漸由一條光束鋪陳到二與三條，在空間中形成幾何三角。之中，音樂向前滾動，舞者則以動作追趕競爭，也用身體關節的驅動開展幾何樣態，音樂與舞蹈間的速度感不斷凝聚、能量越發巨大，此時，雷射光束從三角擴充到包括觀眾席的完整劇場空間，三條射線透過鏡面折射不斷遽增⋯⋯最終，音樂漸遠，太初之始終連結至無限。
跨越領域的共同哲思探問
蘇文琪與藝術家們藉著科學的宇宙圖像溯源，觀想自我與藝術本質，也在創作過程中尋找共融的基礎。他們在相異的領域裡尋找相關，也擁抱觀點碰撞後的啟發。「我以為科學是我從小到大不想再碰的一個學科，也一直以為物理、數學非常艱澀，但當有個創作脈絡思考出來，面對科學，便不再質疑自己『會不會』，而是站在自身專業對話，從而發現許多有趣的相似之處。」而與不同文化、領域及創作主軸的藝術工作者合作，過程既充滿衝擊，又帶有本位跳脫的視角。「每個進入團隊的藝術家都是完整的個體，都有自己的創作脈絡，這某種程度也證明他自己的線路，那條堅持的線路，我一直是非常珍惜的。」當代藝術中多重文化與多重角度為必然走向，異質媒材中的共通性也非新事，蘇文琪試驗著主客思維如何在集體創作與互相啟示中被打開，探問向通同的哲思關懷。
（採訪撰文／許祐綸）
