“If we were to view the advancement of civilization from a linear temporal perspective, in one direction you would see 5,000 years of civilization; in the other, a future of rapid and iterative science and technology. Here we stand in ‘this moment’: a moment where we gather from our ancestors and move toward a new creation, a moment where we traverse the extended ‘past’ and proceed boundlessly into the future.” - Zhang Yimou
In September 2019, the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing hosted the third edition of 2047 Apologue, a visionary performance series conceived by Chinese director Zhang Yimou. Held annually, each edition of 2047 Apologue brings together a diverse group of international creatives and artists to explore the intersection of local ancient traditions and cutting-edge technologies through a series of original performances.
For the 2019 edition, fuse* was invited to create and direct a live media performance that would integrate Hua’er music, contemporary dance, a holographic projection system and two robotic arms, in collaboration with the robotic animation studio AndyRobot. Our work was one of seven acts, each uniquely developed by an international team in partnership with performers from Chinese folk culture.
千丈的黄河万年淌 The ten thousand feet long Yellow River runs for thousands of years
千里的风沙万里黄 A thousand miles of sand turns ten thousand miles of land yellow
千年的日月轮流转 Days and nights rotate for thousands of years
千年的城墙万里长 Thousands mile Great Wall has been standing there for thousands of years
The soundtrack of the performance is a Hua'er song, a folk music genre from the northwestern provinces of China, recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 2009. The dynamics of the music and the themes explored in the piece shaped the conception of the performance. The lyrics encapsulate symbolic elements of Chinese culture: the light of the moon, the relentless passage of time, and the flowing rivers. In various ancient cultures, including Chinese, the image of a river has often been likened to the celestial sphere, with the Milky Way considered the heavenly counterpart of the major earthly rivers. This parallel between earthly currents and astral movements became a key interpretive element of the project.
National Centre for the Performing Arts, 2019
National Centre for the Performing Arts, 2019
National Centre for the Performing Arts, 2019
National Centre for the Performing Arts, 2019