Byron Au Yong

songs of dislocation
HOME     WORK     ABOUT     CONTACT      
Ji Mo 寂寞: The Stillness of Solitude
for voice, xun (clay flute), er-hu (fiddle), Chinese drums, bamboo, water, rocks

No video above? Try YouTube
DESCRIPTION
In 2006, a 28-year-old shot six youth, then killed himself. Thinking about the Capitol Hill shootings close to home and bombs dropping on the other side of the world, I created Piao Zhu: Flying Bamboo, a site-responsive ceremony.
 
Ji Mo 寂寞: The Stillness of Solitude began as a reworking of Piao Zhu for Lincoln Hall. My cast and I talked about the acute isolation felt by the Capitol Hill shooter, those who commit suicide and the hikikomori - adolescents and young adults in Japan who withdraw from society.
 
I struggle to connect those who are perpetually on orange alert with happy drumming. How can I create a music that is both relevant and pleasurable?

In Ji Mo, my collaborators and I go beyond the comforting heartbeat of the drums to explore the distress signals of memory and loss. Through this ceremony, we can hopefully come together and feel a bit less lonely.
Byron Au Yong

PRESS QUOTES
"Seattle's Byron Au Yong brings a highly visual theatricality."
Portland Tribune

"Taiko is often about loud, rapid drumming that thrills audiences with its physicality. But Portland Taiko takes a different tack with a new work on its upcoming concert... Ji Mo: The Stillness of Solitude by Byron Au Yong is a healing meditation."
The Oregonian
CREATIVE TEAM
composer Byron Au Yong
performer Michelle Fujii
performer Karen Akada Sakata
performer Toru Watanabe

shibori artist Kikuko Dewa
costume designer Michelle Kumata
production manager Okazawa M
coordinator Sarah Lin Bhatia
installation coordinator Lorraine Pai

DETAILS
  • Duration 19 minutes
  • Premiered at Lincoln Hall, April 2007
  • Commissioned by Portland Taiko


photos by Aaron Jafferis


photos by Jean-Stephane

No video above? Try YouTube