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STARDUST
Ming Poon
8-Day Participatory Installation / Performance
“To die means to live better.”
STARDUST is a participatory installation-cum-performances. It looks at dying as an act of empowerment, self-transformation and radical care to address the social, political and ecological crises that we are currently facing. STARDUST is as much an artistic meditation on dying as it is on living. It hopes to give a glimpse of how closely interconnected we are to each other as humans, as well as to all non-humans and the natural world. By dying, we also let the power structures inscribed in us die, opening up the space for a future that is more caring and socially and ecologically just.
Over a period of eight days, STARDUST unfolds as an interactive, sensorial and living installation. Visitors are invited to write their own eulogies, listen to an audio guide (“Instructions for Dying”) or join in an intimate conversation about dying. The overarching narrative follows the eight stages of death transformation in Tibetan Buddhism: Earth, Water, Fire, Air, White Light, Red Light, Black Light and Clear Light. Based on this, the sound, light and video designs of the installation transform over the eight days. In addition, live sound recordings and an infrared tracking system are used to create a constantly changing live installation.
As part of the installation, seven performers (30 – 64 years old) take turns to perform their individual dying rituals each day. Their themes range from collective burial, letting go and disappearance to healing, remembering and connectedness. On the final day, they perform a group ritual, in which all the eulogies created are turned into dust – a reminder that we are all made of stardust.
✿ This is designed as Relaxed Installation and Performances.
Artistic Direction & Choreography: Ming Poon
Performance: Veronika Heisig, Lee Mun Wai, Birte Opitz, Vera Shchelkina, Hilla Steinert, Lisa Stertz, hugo-huga x tibiriçá