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I shop, therefore I am

PERFORMANCE NOTES: WHAT: E-wish for a Lonely Island (孤島e願望) WHEN: Tonight at 7:30pm, tomorrow at 2:30pm and 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm WHERE: Fifth Central Hall (中五館), Huashan Culture Park (華山創意園區), 1, Bade Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市八德路一段1號) ADMISSION: Tickets are NT$700, which includes a shopping bag and a flashlight, and are available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw

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Ho Hsiao-mei (何曉玫) likes to think her art is close to real life. She put Taiwanese culture in the form of betel nut beauties and glove puppets under the microscope in 2006’s The Island of Silence (默島樂園). For her latest performance, E-wish for a Lonely Island (孤島e願望), the choreographer and director explores the more universal theme of contemporary consumerism.

“I hold nothing against consumerism or capitalism. I am an eager shopper myself. My aim is merely to share some of my observations and thoughts about shopping and buying,” said Ho, director of the Taipei Crossover Dance Company (台北越界舞團).

Made up of 12 short segments, E-wish is a kinetic fusion of dance and theater in which dialogue is kept to a minimum and performers act out buyers’ hopes and dreams through

dance movements.

In one segment, the performers, wearing doctor’s white lab coats, take on the role of pharmaceutical salespeople who promote a newly invented love and happiness pill.

Then the lights dim, and they strike seductive poses while inviting the audiences to look at them closely.

In I Bought a DNA Set, the dancers turn into gymnasts and celebrate the triumph of science.

Ho says the act of buying is no longer about desire; it has become the driving force that shapes our very existence. “We purchase health, happiness, self-expression, hope and even our future ... Maybe one day I will be able to buy a DNA set — a new me,” she said.

The professor of choreography and dance develops crossover productions by working with performers in different fields. For this show, industrial designer Lin Fei-pi’s (林飛比) flexible paper chair is used as an installation prop. And to ram E-wish’s message home, audience members have the opportunity to buy a range of souvenirs including necklaces, bags and mugs by lifestyle design firm Afterain Design Studio (天晴設計事務所). The online shop can be accessed via Ho’s blog at blog.yam.com/crossover9.

Astute readers may wonder why admission costs NT$300 more than the average for a small-scale theatrical performance. Each ticket comes with a shopping bag and flashlight, the purposes for which will be revealed during the show.

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