Choy Ka Fai, The Wanderer (video still), 2020; image courtesy of the Artist.
How do we perceive the world today in all its seen, unseen, and imagined dimensions?
Does the body continue to play the role of a medium to connect with our surroundings and an archive for personal/collective memories, or has it dissolved into a digital stream of virtual consciousness?
Berlin-based Singapore artist Choy Ka Fai has been researching the metaphysics of the human body in the last decade, taking the body as a conceptual device for explorations into “post-human” choreographic ideas and alternative states of consciousness. An investigation into the relationship between humans and worldly phenomena, CosmicWander is an ongoing project by Choy that explores shamanic dance cultures in Asia, delving into the process of worlding across different communities. Having ventured into the region in search of the most spectacular and immersive trance experiences, the artist has met over 50 shamans and filmed extraordinary dance rituals, from the wilderness of Siberia to the mythological practices in Java. CosmicWander: Expedition presents Choy’s research to-date, set up as an immersive installation that presents the artist’s perspective on humanity’s attempt to connect, to question, and to perceive and interact with different states of reality. Stories and images composed from his invigorating encounters with “altered states” interweave with the artist’s speculations to present a choreographic sequence of moving images, text and spectacle, inspired by practices observed in Singapore, Indonesia, Siberia, Taiwan and Vietnam.
Venue: Tanjong Pagar Distripark, 39 Keppel Road, #01-02 to 04, Singapore 089065
When: 16 Jan - 21 Feb 2021, 12–9pm daily* (12–5pm on 16 and 22 January)
By: Singapore Art Museum (SAM)
