In Being With
between familiar bodies. This ode to companionship is an invitation to pause and give thought to broader reflections on the ways we inhabit in world
Overall Direction & Music:
Chew Shaw En
Performers:
Syimah Sabtu
Chew Shaw En
Lighting Design:
Petrina Dawn Tan
Video creative consultancy and film production:
Fiction Shore
“In Being With” was commissioned by Esplanade – Theatres on
the Bay, Singapore, and first presented as part of the Open Call at da:ns festival 2020.
Chew Shaw En
Performers:
Syimah Sabtu
Chew Shaw En
Lighting Design:
Petrina Dawn Tan
Video creative consultancy and film production:
Fiction Shore
“In Being With” was commissioned by Esplanade – Theatres on
the Bay, Singapore, and first presented as part of the Open Call at da:ns festival 2020.
in a touch, a glance, the tilting of heads
From behaviours that can be read by just one person (or a few), to gestures that are universally understood, this ode to companionship is an invitation for viewers to pause and give thought to broader reflections on the ways we inhabit our lives.
for my brother, whom my life would have been quite different without
//
In this peculiar time, I have been thinking about what connects us; our actions; and what we choose to do with our time. Staying at home, I began to notice and appreciate the presence of my brother a lot more and was reminded of the way we used to play as children, and of the quiet understanding we still share.
The way we wordlessly behave with another person - whilst I suppose, is rather a regular part of everyday life - and is seemingly unremarkable, yet, I find that we share a common humanity in that. I hope that within this work, you will be able to recognise something - a feeling, a memory, familiar gesture, a person - from your life.
Finally, to Syimah, thank you for your friendship and your faith in me and the work that I do. Thank you for being a witness to the visible and invisible labours of this process and the making of this work, for being someone who would challenge my work and also take it on sincerely, whilst also imagining critically with me as we create. It has been an incredibly fun and fruitful time, and I look forward to when we will create something together again.
From behaviours that can be read by just one person (or a few), to gestures that are universally understood, this ode to companionship is an invitation for viewers to pause and give thought to broader reflections on the ways we inhabit our lives.
for my brother, whom my life would have been quite different without
//
In this peculiar time, I have been thinking about what connects us; our actions; and what we choose to do with our time. Staying at home, I began to notice and appreciate the presence of my brother a lot more and was reminded of the way we used to play as children, and of the quiet understanding we still share.
The way we wordlessly behave with another person - whilst I suppose, is rather a regular part of everyday life - and is seemingly unremarkable, yet, I find that we share a common humanity in that. I hope that within this work, you will be able to recognise something - a feeling, a memory, familiar gesture, a person - from your life.
Finally, to Syimah, thank you for your friendship and your faith in me and the work that I do. Thank you for being a witness to the visible and invisible labours of this process and the making of this work, for being someone who would challenge my work and also take it on sincerely, whilst also imagining critically with me as we create. It has been an incredibly fun and fruitful time, and I look forward to when we will create something together again.