‘Do Not’ Cross the River
渡河
Experimental Theatre, 2023
The inspiration of title comes from ancient Chinese music poem collection 乐府诗集《箜篌引》：
“公无渡河。公竟渡河；渡河而死，其奈公何！”
'Do Not' Cross the River is based on the spirit of being-towards-death, and through Positive Nihilism and Taoist philosophy, expresses an idealistic practice with tragic and powerful spirituality. The abstract narrative expresses questions about life, the ebb and flow of life's journey, its length and tension, the ultimately river crossing and the sense of transcendence. The finite nature of life gives meaning to life. A cross-media experimental theatre combining video, installation and performance.
People's fear of death stems from the unknown, fighting the blinders and facing life and death head on. Life is like a long river, we are wrapped in time as we travel; the river as the process of crossing life and death, in crossing the river we realize and rethink the meaning of death and the value of life.
表达具有悲剧色彩而充满强大精神力量的理想主义实践。基于向死而生的精神，将影像、装置与表演组成跨媒介实验戏剧。
人们对死亡的恐惧来源于未知，对抗蒙蔽的态度，正视生命与死亡。生命如长河，我们被时间所包裹着行进；河流作为生命与死亡的跨越过程，在渡河中体悟和重新思考死亡意义与生命价值。
< A Farewell Letter >
-- And who knows?
Why I am here
How I came and how I will return
-- Do I really exist?
When I exist, death does not exist
How do I prove I'm alive
-- Do you remember me?
I am the urgent cry of nature
A thrown line in the universe
The fear of the unknown defines the curve of forgetting
I fritter away the time
A phantom that turns into nothingness
The End steps out of time
Out of orbit
Stepping into a different dimension
Ringing the clock closest to the stoppage
“公无渡河。公竟渡河；渡河而死，其奈公何！”
'Do Not' Cross the River is based on the spirit of being-towards-death, and through Positive Nihilism and Taoist philosophy, expresses an idealistic practice with tragic and powerful spirituality. The abstract narrative expresses questions about life, the ebb and flow of life's journey, its length and tension, the ultimately river crossing and the sense of transcendence. The finite nature of life gives meaning to life. A cross-media experimental theatre combining video, installation and performance.
People's fear of death stems from the unknown, fighting the blinders and facing life and death head on. Life is like a long river, we are wrapped in time as we travel; the river as the process of crossing life and death, in crossing the river we realize and rethink the meaning of death and the value of life.
表达具有悲剧色彩而充满强大精神力量的理想主义实践。基于向死而生的精神，将影像、装置与表演组成跨媒介实验戏剧。
人们对死亡的恐惧来源于未知，对抗蒙蔽的态度，正视生命与死亡。生命如长河，我们被时间所包裹着行进；河流作为生命与死亡的跨越过程，在渡河中体悟和重新思考死亡意义与生命价值。
< A Farewell Letter >
-- And who knows?
Why I am here
How I came and how I will return
-- Do I really exist?
When I exist, death does not exist
How do I prove I'm alive
-- Do you remember me?
I am the urgent cry of nature
A thrown line in the universe
The fear of the unknown defines the curve of forgetting
I fritter away the time
A phantom that turns into nothingness
The End steps out of time
Out of orbit
Stepping into a different dimension
Ringing the clock closest to the stoppage
Theatre Version Performed at Iklectik, London, 3rd Jul.
Director: DING LING
Theatre Performer: DING LING, Xiaowu Peng, Sen Kwok
Sound Performer: Shangyang Yu
Canal Boat Version Performed at Regent Canal, Kings Cross London, 24 Jun.
Director: DING LING
Performer: DING LING, Xiaowu Peng, Peiyi Zhong
24–09–2024