Water burbles, patterns and images flit through this somnambulistic installation, in which a soloist dances – a shadow diva in a shiny sequin dress. Grace Ellen Barkey, who was born in Surabaya, Indonesia, and co-founded the Belgian Needcompany to gether with Jan Lauwers, has decolonised her name for this new work. She now calls herself Grace Tjang after her grandmother. In MALAM / NIGHT she plays the dhalang, the puppeteer, in the ancient wayang pup petshadow play from Java, enchanting the audience with dreamlike poetry. Tjang’s nocturnal observations of the plants in her garden served as inspiration.
Installation, video’s, drawings, costumes and performance: Grace Tjang
Sound installation, ‘Imaginary landscapes’: Rombout Willems
Technical direction: Ken Hioco
Technical coordination: Tijs Michiels
Production management: Marjolein Demey
Outside eye: Emma van der Put
Artistic assistance: Kasia Tórz
Production: Needcompany
Coproduction: Théâtre Garonne, scène européenne – Toulouse, Das Internationale
Figurentheaterfestival Erlangen, MA scène nationale – Pays de Montbéliard Tax Shelter funding BNP Paribas Fortis Film Finance NV/SA
With support from the Belgian Federal Government’s Tax Shelter and the Flemish
authorities
