A Body of 44 - 44の心体
ABOUT
A body of 44 is an experimental 20 min performance and video work.
In 1991 in Japan, one of the most famous pop idols, Rie Miyazawa shocked Japanese society by releasing the semi-nude photography book, Santa Fe. I was 14 years old yet I was so shocked by the fact how possibly the top celebrity idol could get naked in/for the public, let alone myself! Looking back past 44 years, I have always hidden my skin as much as possible. At the same time, I have been hiding my energy, my awareness, my sexuality, my individuality, and my desire to be myself and a part of humanity.
For a year of my 44th year of age, I had a look at my own face in the mirror more than ever before, maybe because of the pandemic/lockdown or maybe because of the mid-age crisis that has been in existence for the past 2 years. Having noticed the yet-to-deep but clear wrinkles, an increasing amount of grey hairs, and some dark spots on my face, I realised once again that I have been getting old as all do.
In this work, I felt something nostalgic. As if I am going to say goodbye to someone whom I am very familiar with. The inseparable self who never remains unchanged, the first goodbye to my today’s body, and the second, to the today’s self.
The underlay video was made based on the thematic subject of Melaka Festival 2021, Tarantella in an attempt to explore the meeting point with Butoh-based practice.
CREATORS
Concept and movement
Takashi Takiguchi
Video Documentation & Edit
Takashi Takiguchi
Sound/Composition: All of the original work by
Ai Yamamoto except '
$RX2INAG' by Ai Yamamoto & Dan West
CREDITS
Photos credits
Cheah Shelly, Jus Ting & Denis Teo
Videography
Lee Kien Fei - Facebook Live Video
Darren Ang Kenzen - Documentation
PRODUCTION HISTORY
Online Premiere
17 November 2021
Filmed at Melbourne
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
A Body of 44 was created as a part of Melaka Art Performance Festival (MAP Fest) 2021, and I would like to thanks to the generous support of:
Andrew Ching
Suen Kar Nee
E-Plus Global
Tony Yap
and MAF Fest family from all over the world
Special thanks for Tony Yap for creating the international performing arts platforms for Independent Artists, so we share, exchange, laugh, and create together beyond the border, ages, religions, races, nationalities, experiences of practices.
AUDIENCE REVIEWS
“Really creative psychological expression of how I felt in lockdown.”
— Audience Review (G.N)
“Stunning,surreal,sensual compelling”
— Audience Review (H.H)
“I feel so lucky to have experienced (his) expression... big day and so tired, this is my dream’n drift ..xx awesome.. finally in bed”
— Audience Review (N.H)
“... such an ingeniously devised piece. Love how each layer of video tells a discrete story but also relates to the others. And music that evoked various moods so well.”
— Audience Review (L.S)
FEED BACK ARTICLE
“It’s double death in Chinese and possibly also in Japanese as the numbers are read as double 四, (pinyin: sì). Double transitions.
We see under the sheets layerings of voices through a shrouded body in death throes. As if like gods, we the spectators look from above from the heavens to a human being in a dance of change and a powerful transition.
This man’s soul is in conversation to his outer self, or the other way around in this double ‘death’. The beauty of the confluences of the layers of Inner to the outer being is projected body on body. The depictions of images suggest impermanence but in sensual glazing. In a pace of preening, reflecting, and in the end juxtapositioning his inner cries Taka offers his stripped body for the final tattooing of soul to skin in an exquisite final image.
The transition of a double death blows to a single birth.”
- Tony Yap on 18.10.21