
A PIECE OF CAKE
Yen-Cheng Liu
Like a dream, life is at times realistic; at times illusory. We believe that we see the whole picture of what is happening around us. But is it really the whole picture? Or is it just our wishful thinking? In the modern life that is filled with the experience of virtual presentation, we find that it becomes more and more difficult to have a full view of the truth and to recognize what is real, what is unreal.
A PIECE OF CAKE challenges its audience with different perspectives. In the proscenium version, “parts” of the theater performance is streamed live through social media, while “parts” of the video compositions seen in the social media is projected back on the big screen onstage. It blatantly portrays how a content creator manipulates the perspectives of his viewers. In another version – a no-seating walk-around performance – the performers lead the audience through backstage rooms and various scenes. It blurs the boundary between offstage space and performance space, eliminating the divide between reality and fiction.
Amid humorous gestures and serious steps, a woman and a man gently touch on the invisible dismal and obscure weight of life. The collective of performers, technical crew and the creator all bustle around the performance space. With a relaxed attitude that feels like “a piece of cake”, they quietly stir up the anxiety hidden in the contemporary life.
Note: A PIECE OF CAKE has two versions and can adapt to different types of venues, with either the proscenium version or the no-seating version.
No-seating version: premiered on Dec. 19, 2019 at Song Yan Creative Lab., Taipei, Taiwan
Proscenium version: presented on Nov. 7, 2020 at Playhouse, National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying), Taiwan.
Credit:
Choreography and Sound Design:LIU Yen-Cheng | Performance:WANG Chu-Hua, SHEN Le | Lighting Design:TSENG Jui-Hsuan | Visual Design:HUANG Wei-Hsuan | Costume Design:Hikky CHEN
Xiang-Jun Fan, Arts Critic:
''with an experienced, blasé, “a piece of cake” like sophistication and ease......''Xiang-Jun Fan, Arts Critic:
“LIU subtly points out the impossibility to satisfy the greed for “seeing the whole picture”, responding to the information anxiety in our modern life – or more so during the pandemic time… with an experienced, blasé, “a piece of cake” like sophistication and ease, he also cruelly points out that there always exists a creator who sits in the center to manipulate how we see his/her choreography.”
Nominator for Taishin Arts Award:
''A dance piece approachable to the general public, while remaining true to its original intention to experiment......''Rikey Cheng, Award Nominator:
“A wonderful use of props, wooden pallets and live video feed…… By continuously segmenting the space, not only dose he create multiple movement routes spread over the venue, but also a metaphor, characterizing the diversity of perspectives and nuances of choreography…… It’s a dance piece approachable to the general public, while remaining true to its original intention to experiment.”