Site-specific speculative Project,
adapted from the Cantata Piece Figure Humaine
Venue: Waitrose John Barnes Car Park, Finchley Road
Composed by Francis Poulenc
Text by Paul Éluard
Designer: Jiahui Cai
Director: Alan Fielden, Jiahui Cai
1:50 Scale Model
This speculative site-specific project delves into the depths of individual narratives and the shared human experience amidst profound collective trauma. Through the evocative use of metaphors and subtle sarcasm, it navigates the complexities of personal pain within the context of broader societal upheaval. This project blurs the boundaries between everyday existence and the theatrical realm, creating a dynamic and immersive experience.
Is this performance, or is it real life?
Exploring a new way to watch theatre shows especially for this site specific piece, I imagined what would happen if the consumers blend into the performance where real life and theatre performance interrupt each other.
Inspired from the painting The Gleaners by Jean-François Millet and Agnes Varda’s documentary The Gleaners and I, I created an image of the gleaners on Halloween, focusing on the fun bit of gleaners, showing the gleaners is a way of living with dignity and love.
It’s a disturbing visual intersection weaved with the birth control policy in China, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Roe V Wade overturned. The motif of the woman pulling babies out of her vagina is simulating a magician pulling out scarves from their hat/sleeves, discussing women losing the rights to their own bodies.
Jiahui Cai 