MOVING STONe/Performance

(Click here for performance documenation images)

PERFORMANCE ART REVIEW By Funky Drewster, a participant

The Little Machine, a contemporary art gallery in Rundle Mall's Regent Arcade, recently hosted a live performance art piece by Jingwei Bu titled Moving Stone.

I was apprehensive at first, because I worried it would just be someone walking back and forth with a stone. Thankfully, that wasn't the case.

Rather, the stone is both a prop and performance partner to Bu, who uses it as a literal and metaphorical representation of the weight of different life experiences. She would disappear and reappear from behind a curtain, and each time she did so I felt both her and the rock were playing new roles.

I was captivated by how she moved and interacted with the stone, trying to interpret her actions, or relating my own experiences to her performance.

This was an interactive show, so the audience was invited to perform with the rock as they pleased. It was interesting seeing how other people chose to respond: some playfully, some tenderly, and others treating the stone with resentment.

As for me, well despite insisting that I'm more of a clown than an artist, Bu still encouraged me to participate and I was very much on the playful side of things. She eventually joined me, and we ended up doing a Tai chi style dance with the rock between us that I found to be very soothing. I wound up laughing because I'm terrible at being serious, but Bu seemed pleased that I was at least getting something out of the experience.

As an aside, the stone is MUCH heavier than it looks.

After the performance, she was open to questions and I found her to be quite fascinating and charming.

Moving Stone is an ongoing project. Click to see the Adelaide Film Festival commissioned moving image.