in Sino-Electric Explorations presented by Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble (VCME) & DKAM at Orpheum Annex 2015 Nov 8th

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5A2dR7aluI

Wuwei/wubuwei 無為/無不為

my interest in this piece is to explore the notion of Wu Wei, which is a Taoist philosophy of the “non-doing”. I see it as an attitude, a way of life that’s without much efforts, intentions while naturally attaining harmony with the universe. When the universe and the microcosm are in sync, the body may channel it’s unique energy that may become natural movement impulses, which is derived from some of the fundamental believes for Qi Gong/energy practice. I believe that whether it’s music, sound, visuals, lights and movements, they’re all ultimately unimpeded, when we’re wholly in sync, we attain this state of non-doing and synchronicity.

The piece begins with movements, the musicians perceives or interprets the movements while performing, as a natural response, the lights are triggered by the sound that musician creates, the light exposes onto the movement artist while video captures and altering it’s time. We see a fluid intertwining exchange and dialogue between different forms and sensory, yet everything is somewhat connected. While the natural energy leads the body to move in certain ways, and that super-consciouness influences the music, then the lights, back to the body and to the videos, as an infinite non-action action, doing without too much intentions, but a pure being,

All movement within our bodies and instruments are intrinsic to our nature of being, ultimately there’s no boundaries. when movement can conduct sound and sound can conduct lights, this interwoven relationships delineates a kind of inner state-nesss that is universal, Chinese instruments or not, notes, chords, compositional rules may seem irrelevant in this context, but rather what matters is the state-of-being.

The Sage is occupied with the unspoken And acts without effort.Teaching without verbosity,Producing without possessing,Creating without regard to result, Claiming nothing,the Sage has nothing to lose

The sage desires to have no desire.He does not value rare treasures.He learns to be unlearned,And returns to what the multitude has missed (Tao).Thus he supports all things in their natural state but does not take any action.—Laozi, Tao Te Ching

是以聖人處 無為之事, 行不言之教。萬物作焉 而不辭。生 而不有, 為而不恃, 功成 而弗居. 夫唯弗居, 是以不去。

是以 聖人欲 不欲, 不貴 難得之貨, 學不學, 復眾人之 所過, 以輔萬物之 自然 而不敢為.

—老子, 道德經

Photo by Sheng Ho