This production ‘2 Gather’ was a collaborative work between two indigenous dance companies which from Taiwan and New Zealand. Since these two groups have distinctive body languages, the most challenging task was the creative process itself.
As a lighting designer, I was pleased to have the opportunity living and rehearsing with them closely in their tribe- which called‘Tjimur’ in the mountain in Pingtung for a month. I also witnessed the process how they deconstruct and digest the tradition, then interpret to an entirely new expression. Honestly, being a lighting designer is not the most important role in this creative period but being a family who understands their culture (or predicament) through time.
As a result, ‘2 Gather’ keeps each culture uniqueness and also shows the confliction throughout the performance. For the spectators they could also sense those strong individualities even in the same choreography.
In order to magnify the purity of the movement, my main concept was to keep light as minimal as possible. Furthermore, since ‘ocean’ has been a main image for the choreographer, the ‘darkness’ has been thought as another important lighting element. Via playing around ‘concealment’ and ‘revelation’, the boundaries became more blur and mysterious.