Butoh Artist in Residence, Taipei 61

Off day

I'm thinking what I did, this time.

I directed Butoh performance and stage exhibition.

The theme is the soul.

I asked people how they imagine after death.

The question is "After death, your soul will be..."

I wanted to hear people's real voice, not the idea of particular religions or ready made.

I wanted to involve people in this work because their imagination is free from my ideas and rules. I wanted to be influenced by it.

I hung their answers and wrote them on the wall. This exhibition room title is "Future or Past, but not Now..."

I also prepare the room to write answers. This exhibition title is "Now"

I set the situation as the future, in 1000 years from now, after a big calamity or a world war.

The population becomes fewer and most people forget the traditional way, how to pray for the god and ancestors.

They try to remind it by gathering particles of memories, and create "Future Temple".

Based on this situation, 6 collaborators helped to create holy ornaments for "Future Temple"

Gokcen is one of the collaborators, she decided to use plastic bags for decoration. It's alarming the environment destruction.

Other collaborators also used recycle materials to create artworks. 

This project name is "Future Altar", and it became the title of this artworks space.

My butoh dance started from Treasure Hill temple, and dancing along the street to the "Future Temple"

I picked up the motifs from the memories of Mazu festival, the ideas of the soul that people answered and scenery of this village.

Future Temple (2020) | Emiko Agatsuma