ZAI KUNING and XIAOHAN HAN

Zai Kuning and Xiaohan Han

Zai Kuning (Zailani bin Kuning) and Xiaohan (Han, Sheng) are our artists in Residency at Studio Plesungan from April 28th to May 5th, 2023.

The residency program is to support the process of Prodigal Song -The Pagan Story. This is a dance theatre project initiated by Zai Kuning and inspired by Animistic and Shamanistic dances and music. An interpretation of the living ancient world. This work is part of Zai Kuning’s continuous and long-standing effort, since 1995, to showcase the stories of the indigenous people, namely the Orang Laut. For the past 20 years, his works have been focusing on the circumstances of the indigenous people in the Riau Archipelago, West Malaysia and Thailand. Now, to him, his works are based on his reactions and feelings towards the indigenous people of the world who have suffered the same fate, particularly on the issue of land ownership and their dying art, music and dance, which have been in existence for millions of years through the worlds of Animism, Paganism and Shamanism.

The expression and creation of this work are not specifically referring to any tribes of the world. It is through the workshop that the performer will ask themselves how they think and feel about the dance movements of the indigenous people of the world. Led by Zai Kuning and Xiao Han, this workshop introduces ancient beats, grooves, rhythms and melodies that the indigenous people have been playing within their communities for more than 20 years. The aim of this workshop is to lead the performer to search for their own primal sense through dance performance, from body movement to vocalization. The performer will also be introduced to the idea of using masks to form their own personal characterization.

This project will begin with the search for original musical compositions between Zai and Xiao Han. Xiao Han is an experienced musician, composer and music teacher based in Chiang Mai, Thailand. He has studied Manchu traditional music and shamanism. Zai, on the other hand, is known for his personalized interpretation of the Ghazal and his drumming style which is a mixture between Malay, Japanese and Korean styles. None of Zai’s musical works are to be considered ‘traditional’, they are all derived from his personalized style.

Zai Kuning adalah salah satu seniman berpengaruh di Singapura. Ia secara konsisten terlibat dengan budaya dan ekologi yang unik di kawasan Asia Tenggara, dan telah memelopori praktik multi-disiplin dan berbagai jenis improvisasi  yang mencakup patung, instalasi, lukisan, dan gambar, suara/musik eksperimental, video, film, seni pertunjukan, tari dan teater. Dia adalah presiden pertama The Artists Village (TAV), sebuah kolektif seniman yang didirikan oleh Tang Da Wu di Singapura. Setelah meninggalkan TAV, Zai membentuk Metabolic Theater Laboratory (MTL), sebuah perusahaan teater tari berorientasi penelitian, dan produksinya berkeliling Hong Kong, Jepang, dan Korea.

Zai Kuning is one of the influential artists in Singapore. He consistently engages with the unique culture and ecology of the Southeast Asian region, and has pioneered a multi-disciplinary practice and various types of improvisation that include sculpture, installation, painting and drawing, experimental sound/music, video, film, performance art, dance and theater He was the first president of The Artists Village (TAV), an artists’ collective founded by Tang Da Wu in Singapore. After leaving TAV, Zai formed Metabolic Theater Laboratory (MTL), a research-focused theater company, and its productions toured Hong Kong, Japan, and Korea.

Xiaohan lahir pada tahun 1974 di Manchuria. Dia adalah seorang komposer kontemporer dan penyair yang memadukan unsur-unsur musik daerah, dengan karir musik profesional selama hampir 30 tahun. Sebagian besar karyanya terinspirasi dengan mitos dan legenda kuno Pegunungan Putih dan Perairan Hitam (White Mountain and Black Water). Penciptaan musiknya didasari pada logika etnomusikologi Asia Timur Laut, menerapkan metode komposisi modern Barat, dan kehalusannya penuh dengan situasi oriental yang misterius, sunyi, dan halus, serta memberikan citra piktorial.

Xiaohan was born in 1974 in Manchuria. He is a conservative and poet who combines elements of regional music, with a professional music career spanning nearly 30 years. Most of his works are inspired by the ancient myths and legends of the White Mountains and Black Waters (White Mountains and Black Waters). His music creation is based on the logic of Northeast Asian ethnomusicology, applies Western modern compositional methods, and its subtlety is full of mysterious, silent and ethereal oriental situations, and provides a pictorial image.

PRESENTASI PUBLIK
Rabu, 3 Mei 2023
19:00 WIB
di Studio Plesungan
(Desa Plesungan rt03 rw02, Plesungan Gondangrejo, Karanganyar 57181)

Kisah Pagan dan lagu-lagunya yang hilang (The Pagan Stories and its prodigal songs)

Diprakarsai/disutradarai oleh Zai Kuning
2023 – Bekerja sama dengan Xiaohan Han (Manchuria, China)

Karya ini merupakan upaya berkelanjutan Zai Kuning  sejak 1995 yang berbicara tentang kisah-kisah masyarakat adat yaitu Orang Laut meskipun kini setelah 20 tahun menyelami apa yang terjadi pada masyarakat adat Kepulauan Riau, Malaysia Barat, dan Thailand. Baginya, ini semua tentang kterlibatannya dalam menyadari dan merasakan situasi penduduk asli dunia yang mengalami kesamaan nasib, terutama pada krisis kepemilikan tanah, seni, musik, dan tarian yang telah ada selama jutaan tahun melalui dunia Animisme/Paganisme dan Shamanisme.

Kali ini Zai bekerja sama dengan Xiaohan Han dalam pencarian ‘Music for Dance Theatre’. Studio Plesungan menjadi titik awal bagi Zai dalam proses pencarian musisi dan penari hingga akhir tahun 2023 ini. Pada tahun 2024, ia berharap proses penciptaan THE PAGAN STORIES dapat dimulai, setelah 20 tahun absen di dunia teater tari sebagai sutradara dan penampil.

Presentasi kali ini berfokus terutama pada musik rakyat dari tradisi spiritual Manchuria yang ditafsirkan oleh Xiaohan, dengan Zai bermain bersama (drum/vokal) dalam gaya drum dan musik Zai yang dipersonalisasi.

This work is Zai Kuning’s ongoing effort since 1995 which talks about the stories of indigenous people, namely the Orang Laut, even though now after 20 years, he has delved into what happened to the indigenous people of the Riau Islands, West Malaysia and Thailand. For him, this is all about his involvement in realizing and feeling the situation of the world’s indigenous people who experience the same fate, especially the crisis of land ownership, art, music and dance that has existed for millions of years through the world of Animism/Paganism and Shamanism.

This time Zai collaborated with Xiaohan Han in the search for ‘Music for Dance Theatre’. Plesungan Studio is the starting point for Zai in the process of searching for musicians and dancers until the end of 2023. In 2024, he hopes that the process of creating THE PAGAN STORIES can begin, after 20 years of absence in the world of dance theater as a director and performer.

This presentation focuses primarily on folk music from the Manchurian spiritual tradition supported by Xiaohan, with Zai playing along (drums/vocals) in Zai’s personalized style of drumming and music.

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