Tattooing Island: A Moving Documentary of the City
Jockey Club Dance Theatre, CCDC Dance Centre, Chuk Un 
Why We Recommend it
City Contemporary Dance Company’s new production documents the changing architectural landscape of Hong Kong in relation to the use of retaining walls closely tied to the geographical and climatic conditions of the city.
Description
In the 1950s to 70s, the booming population and the lack of flat land in the city led developers to start constructing on slopes, laying down the ground work for the heavy reliance on retaining walls to reinforce and stabilise slopes, specifically in the subtropical city where heavy rain and typhoons lead to frequent occurrences of landslides, rock falls and mud flows.
Borrowing this as the subject and combining it with body language, local choreographer Maze Chan uses dance as a medium to record and express the rapid changes of the city-scape. Apart from the architectural perspective, she also scrutinises the minute details constantly overlooked by passersby, such as plants and vines between the crevasses and cracks, to shed light to the aesthetic side of these structures. The dance performance marks – thereby “tattoos” – the landscape history of Hong Kong.
Chan is known for her abstract works that comment on hotly debated social issues. Her production We’ll Meet Again (2015) was selected in the Taipei Fringe Festival.
Details
When: 29 Jun 2019 - 30 Jun 2019 Where: Jockey Club Dance Theatre, CCDC Dance Centre – 43-45 Fei Fung Street – Chuk Un
