"Confluence," weaves together three performances exploring cultural identity, ancestral memory, and borders.
The first performance was initiated during One of Many’s Residency in Jordan in 2023, leverages the power of calligraphy to explore the themes of water's symbolism, language, identity, and environment. Through creating a 160-foot scroll in Chinese, Hebrew, and Arabic, I staged a performance in the Wadi Rum desert. This scroll, containing water-themed words, was ceremonially unraveled down a dune in Jordan to symbolize a 'scroll river’. This metaphorical river flowing through the desert explores how water transcends borders, connecting disparate lands and peoples.
The scroll was installed at Gathering Future Ancestors in Brooklyn. This was the first time I unrolled the scroll since Wadi Rum and it still carried the grains of sand from the desert. The work suspended above the audience became a quiet hope for those who passed through.
As people connected by waters, we can’t help but be intertwined and we need to exercise compassion at all times. Accept that we will have feelings of anger, distress, helplessness, but try to move forward in kindness without malice.
The second performance follows the scroll to Singapore, my family's home. I recently performed a ceremonial walk through our family cemetery, unrolling portions over ancestral graves, then wrapping it around my body as a symbolic shroud. This ritual honors my culture's burial traditions and explores themes of ancestral roots and identity.
Third piece is currently work in progress. I am collaging 3D LIDAR scans from both sites, creating a digital environment where these distant landscapes merge. These scans will backdrop a new performance, creating a third space between these geographical and emotional territories. The scroll becomes a vessel carrying memories between generations, transcending physical and digital realms, as well as space and time.
