Re-Titled (Are You Coming Home?)

Description:

Tai Dang’s multimedia performance Re-Titled (Are You Coming Home?) was inspired by the Tibetan Book of the Dead and explored themes of repetition and reincarnation.

The performance began with Dang suspended from the ceiling, wearing a white suit, bowler hat, and red mask. He held a cell phone and an umbrella, symbols of earthly attachments within the modern world. After being lowered, he delivered a monologue reflecting on home, magic, and memory alongside projected video and text. He then moved through a series of actions that metaphorically and physically divested him of his material body and possessions, leaving him in the nude. 

The performance concluded with Dang wearing Tibetan paper masks, which he tore from his face one by one. Throughout the work, harsh, contrasting spotlights and strobe lights fragmented body and time, allowing Dang to appear as a glitch or apparition, floating between worlds.

Curated by Dana Claxton, as part of the series Progression.

Presented with assistance from the Vancouver City Cross-Cultural Initiative. 

Video documentation is available upon request.