Imprints of Pain
20240707
The performance was at the Tafalong Ritual Plaza. I wore a nude-color base layer. Carrying a bucket filled with body paint sticks, I walked to a blue traffic cone. I drew a smiling face on its side with an orange stick and hugged it tightly. Then, I outlined its base with color, placed it on my upper back, and carried it as I walked.
I approached a woman sitting on the ground and asked, “Is there a body part you like or dislike the most? Or have you had any recent pain?” She said her ankle had been hurting. I invited her to choose a color stick and draw on it. Then I pressed my ankle to hers, picking up the color.
I walked over to a row of seated audience who had stayed at a distance. One woman declined to participate when I asked. A man sitting on a plastic chair said he didn’t really like his lower arm. He used a yellow stick to draw his left arm. I pressed my own lower arm against his and carried away the yellow.
A girl, who seemed to be with her mother, said she didn’t like her acne. I invited her to choose a color and just mark it on her hand. She chose white. I said, “That’s the color acne cream usually comes in! I’ve also had a long battle with acne. I know how hard it can be. I hope I can take away some of that pain.” I pressed my hand to hers and took the white with me.
I placed the traffic cone over my head and walked slowly for a while. A man wearing green and black clothing used a white stick to draw a bone-like pattern on his arm. I imprinted the fishbone print onto me.I approached another performer’s table, picked up one egg from a carton, and painted the eggshell yellow.
A woman standing nearby said she didn’t have a favorite, least favorite, or currently painful part of her body. Still, she chose a color and marked her wrist. I rotated my own wrist over hers, trying to absorb every bit of paint.
Another performer was using red tape and wooden sticks to create a structure. I painted one of the wooden sticks blue and pressed my left cheek against it. As I walked through the structure, the performer hugged me from behind, and the paint on my face left a mark on her body. As the structure gradually collapsed, I used the paint to outline its shape on the floor.
A shirtless man, covered in tattoos, was helping to build the frame. I asked him which tattoo he liked best, but he said he didn't really want any of them. He pointed to a rope-like pattern running down his spine and said that was his favorite. I traced the entire tattoo with a color stick and pressed my back against his.
At the end, I stepped outside, lay down behind a pillar, and used the white paint stick to draw a human outline around myself. Then I lay inside the shape and closed my eyes. My section in the program read: “Symbiosis: Each person you meet grows a new part of you.”
Thanks to Langasan Theatre for the invitation, to all the team members, to the photographers: Huang Yan-Qi, Wu Yao-Dong, Li You-Cheng, Yan Gui-Zhen, and to our dedicated production coordinator, marang aly.
