Gloomy Clock/Letter (2018)
Choreography by Ryan Hung in collaboration with performers
Performed by Muhammad Ghoni Damanhuri, Jamie Friedman, Benjamin Nguyen
Music: 아이유 (IU) ft. 종현 (Jonghyun) - "우울시계 (Depression Clock)"
王力宏 - "需要人陪 (Need Someone beside Me)"
유재하 (Yoo Jae-Ha) - "우울한 편지 (Depressive Letter)"
Marvin Gaye - "What’s Going On"
As people, I find that we all come to terms — in one way or another — with being a metaphoric clock and letter. Once the clock runs out, I cease to live. Using that fixed amount of time, I am writing a letter to the world trying to figure out who I am, what I want, and how to do. Coming to grips with this reality takes all of us on a nerve wracking yet thrilling journey in defining our existence within ourselves and amongst each other. The magical, jovial spirit of life is but only one side of that coin, and Gloomy Clock/Letter explores the physical, emotional, and psychological struggles that arise along the way: listlessness, loneliness, pain, confusion. In investigating such notions, I examine how we grapple with these complexities through the physical instrument.
Gloomy Clock/Letter ran in the Flanagan Theatre from May 5- 6, 2018.
All photographs by Paul Chan Htoo Sang. Graphic by Sooji Son. Filmed by Celeste Miller.