Clear Life ?
Visual and Physical Theatre Performance created by Vera Chen, Taiwan
video demo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uv22PkjYJNg
黑白過
第8屆台新藝術獎提名作品
受邀2010韓國首爾藝穗節國際演出作品
2012北京青年戲劇節台灣代表作品
文化部台灣團隊代表之一 2012外亞維儂藝術節連演23場
導演/演出: 陳雪甄 Vera Chen
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Clear Life?
Must life be colorful?
Are we happier with more colors, or blinded by it?
Have we forgotten how to see, and perceive, life in its clarity?
How to lead…a Clear Life?
(photographer: Fredrick Liu )
Clear Life? is a highly visual, and highly physical, (multimedia) solo performance. Vera Chen filters her social observation through clowning and digital spectacles. In its absurdity, she presents the blind pursuit of “colorful life” that occupies many people today and, at the same time, satirizes on the consumerist society and the endless anxieties it induces.
Feature
In making Clear life?, performance artist Vera Chen invited video artist Yi-Chun Hsu to collaborate on integrating live performance and video art installation to achieve a unique visual aesthetics in the theatre. On stage, two layers of screens create a cinema-like space onto which variously stylized images are projected from both the front and the back. Chen performs in-between the screens, as if walking into a film. She looks almost flat, but uneasily not quite. In such a near-flatness, she appears as if floating in the colorful but illusionistic media world, reminding us of our sometime bleak existence. The video includes manga-like presentations as well as spectacular, digitally effected images, animating the information of fads and the consumer products that bombard our lives. Chen interacts with the images in stylization and with humor, creating a highly intriguing experience for the spectators. She also performs behind as well as in the front of the two screens, which, together with lighting effects, reveals moments when the protagonist finally regards herself.
Performance Length: 32mins (NO interval)
*The words on the video will be translated to different language according to the touring country.
*The production was supported by National Culture &Art Foundation and National Theatre Hall.
Reviews
Vera Chen surprised audiences by her precise performing and distinct visual idea
........theatre critic, Hung-hung, Taiwan.
Clear life explored all possibilities between video art and live performing, also used the interesting way to show about modern women's pressure in the consumer society
......... theatre critic, Yi-Wei Keng, Taiwan.
Award
2009 Excellent Creation Award Winner in Young Stars' New Version Showcase, Taiwan
About the Creator: Vera Chen
Vera is a dynamic solo performing artist from Taiwan. As a director, performer and teacher in performing art, she endeavor to bring new imagination to audiences with her distinct physical language , rational technological ways of thinking, and humorous interrogation of contemporary culture.
Majored in Bio-tech in NTU university, she later pursued a post-graduate degree in contemporary solo-performance, and was trained in Brunel University, UK in 2005, which was guided by Helen Paris and Robin Deacon. During her stay in the UK, she was also trained in JohnWright school studying Jacques Lecoq’s physical theater system. She had several collaboration with local theatre groups and live-art performing artists in London as well. She also has invited to perform with many theatre companies in Taiwan, including Golden Bough, Shakespeare's wild sister, Taiyuan Puppet Theatre Company, 8213 Physical Theatre and Opera Australia...
She has a diverse experience in theater, dance, films and life sciences, which lead her to integrate different materials uniquely in her creative works. While doing so, she manages to draw the touching moments of modern life and weaving these bits and pieces into her works that resonates the audience. In two consecutive years, her works were selected to be showcased in Young Stars' New Version Showcase by National Theater, Taiwan. The former work used the process of scientific experiments as a simile to life experiences, and the dynamic yet witty and humorous performance has left deep impressions for the audience.
Creative Team
Video Artist: Yi-Chun HSU
Lighting Designer/Stage Manager: Yen-KU Ou (So Bright Lighting Company)
Music Designer: Huan-Fu Yu
Costume Designer: Chiung-Yun Hsu
For More Information Please Contact
Vera Chen
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關於黑白過
人生不能是黑白的嗎？
失去顏色的人生，是黑白過的開始？還是黑白過的結束？
所謂的多彩多姿生活，是發自內心的享受，還是醫不好的一窩蜂症頭?
「黑白過」，取材於台語諧音 ㄡ-ㄅㄟ-ㄍㄨㄟ\，從台灣當下的生活潮流中反問你我誰在胡亂過日子。
新生代創作者陳雪甄，以單人表演之型式，大量視覺化的演出，結合錄像藝術裝置，創意實驗影像與真人表演互動之關系，並以其獨特之戲劇肢體風格及社會觀察，諷刺幽默呈現現代人刻意追求多彩生活的盲目行為，同時也探討了現代人面對消費社會的焦慮與不安。
陳雪甄趣味演譯黑白過，但絕不黑白來。看倌們，來盤黑白切吧！
評論與回響
陳雪甄在去年的作品<空控>中以奇想及精準的表演讓人驚豔，今年的黑白過更大膽實驗影像與表演的關系，令人相當期待。
.............. 劇場電影導演、詩人、評論家，鴻鴻
黑白過幾乎探索了影像與真人互動的所有可能性，前後幕的投影及中間演員的即時結合，讓習慣影音媒體的新一代觀眾，在劇場看到他們熟悉的語言，陳雪甄並以趣味的方式探索了消費社會對現代女性的隱形壓迫。
……… 劇場評論、教授，耿一偉
黑白過為一結合大量視聽效果的獨角戲，形式活潑。表演者採默劇形態，呈述她對生存價值的困惑與踟躕，顯示出島內生活與社會環境的趕風潮現象。
----- 劇場評論，莫默
影像、聲音、布幕後的演員相互層疊；舞台、表演者和影像互動式的演出，很適合都會虛實交錯主題 。
-------- 觀眾回響
很特別的表演方式，用簡單的道具就可表現您的人生二三四。
………知名漫畫家，魚夫
演出特色
黑白過是現場表演、錄像裝置及燈光技術的高度整合呈現。
黑白過特別邀請錄像藝術家-徐逸君 擔任設計，結合其精緻的設計風格及多元的技術手法，與創作者演員精準的戲劇肢體表演，構成獨特的視覺美學。 舞台由前後兩層的投影幕所構成如同電影院的銀幕裝置，影像則分別以前投跟背投的方式投影於上。演員走進兩塊投影幕間就像走進電影般，在幾近平面的空間裡，如同真人被架空在多彩又虛幻的媒體世界中, 透露出現代人生存的荒涼性。虛擬影像中，並以漫畫式的對話框形式表現各種外來的流行資訊，以炫麗的圖像動畫表現充斥生活的消費產品。 演員高度與影像內容互動演出，造成極具趣味的觀賞經驗。同時演員也會出現於兩塊投影幕的後面及前面區域，配合光影的使用，呈現主角壁面對自我時的處境。
演出長度: 32分鐘 (無中場休息)
語言: 影像上之文字可依巡迴演出國家語言需求翻譯之。
**本節目由國藝會及兩廳院補助製作演出。
製作群
導演/演出: 陳雪甄
錄像裝置藝術家: 徐逸君
燈光設計: 歐衍穀(有夠亮有限公司)
音樂設計: 余奐甫
錄像裝置藝術家: 徐逸君
燈光設計: 歐衍穀(有夠亮有限公司)
音樂設計: 余奐甫
服裝設計: 許瓊云
舞台設計: 詹舒媛