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Program Note
To progress again, man must remake himself. And he cannot remake himself without suffering. For he is both the marble and the sculptor. ”– Alexis Carrel
This work attempts to illustrate “Man, The Unknown (1935)” by Alexis Carrel and scenes within “The Temple of the Golden Pavilion (1956)” by Yukio Mishima. Through the confession of a disabled monk as the storyline, constructing an imagination of the two masterpieces - the protagonist seeks self-destruction, exploring the remake of man and the sublimity of beauty. The work consists of two parts: video projection and audio, interacting with a live percussion performance. Music would contain some improvisation with a partial open score between the video and live performance, corresponding to the theme of the unknown of regression.
Heng Lin is a composer, conductor, and multi-instrumentalist in contemporary music, focusing on instrument capacities and acoustical timbre, writing for solo instruments and small chamber groups. His compositional style involves imaging and dynamics, making sound visible, and integrating education to promote his citizen composer characteristics. He also serves as a music educator interested in K-12 music, conducting practice and concert repertoire, and composing the music for the middle school ensemble. Heng Lin is pursuing a bachelor's degree in Composition and Music Education at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University. He has been studying in Dr. Du Yun's studio since 2020.
Liu Yefu focuses on video, drawing and mixed-media. Influenced by Asian folk culture, Liu is interested in the expression of black humor with a stream of consciousness style, playfully commenting on the chaos and restlessness of social realities. Liu’s solo exhibitions include: John Lenin (Baltimore, 2023), Fool’s Paradise (Beijing, 2022), Hehemeimei, (Basel, 2021), No Easy Symbolism (Beijing, 2018), Episode 1 (Beijing, 2016). His recent works have been exhibited at 4th BIENALSUR (Virtual venue, Buenos Aires, 2023), 25th Gabrovo Biennial for Humor & Satire in Art (Gabrovo, 2022), Tai Kwun Contemporary (Hong Kong, 2019), Gene Siskel Film Center (Chicago, 2019), He Xiangning Museum (Shenzhen, 2017), Le Carreau du Temple (Paris, 2017), Ullens Center of Contemporary Art (Beijing, 2017), YUZ Museum (Shanghai, 2016), Vox Populi, (Philadelphia, 2014) among others. Liu is the nomination of Han Nefkens Video production grants (Barcelona, 2022), Balois Art Prize (Basel, 2021), Huayu Youth Award (Sanya, 2016) and he is the finalist of Toby Devan Lewis MFA Fellowship (Baltimore, 2014).