placed

Filmmaker: Chang Liu (Leo)  

Performer: Jonathan Starr 

Music by Seung-hwan Lee 

Produced in 2021 

Premiered at Scenkonst Västernorrland, Sweden 

Shooting Location: Härnösand, Sweden  

Concept: 

placed is a screendance work juxtaposing two divergent, even conflicting, scenes and placing them next to each other on a shared screen. This deliberate placement creates a dual experience for the viewer-that is both challenging and embracing, inviting them to simultaneously enjoy and endure the interplay of opposing elements.  

It touches on the tactile and sensory dichotomies: the movement of tongue and toe, the touch of lip and the scratch of nail, the delicacy of fingers and the roughness of teeth. It contrasts tender leaves with strong trunks, vibrant flowers with decaying bark. placed undertakes an exploration of soft and dried, fragrant and smelly, young and old, wind and heat, shadow and sound, coexistent comfort and disturbance in life.  

The work celebrates the inherent value of each experience, both soothing and disturbing, and enhances their necessary positions in shaping one's existence. With this in mind, placed offers a deeply reflective piece about balance, acceptance, and interconnectedness-life's textures.