Arts preview: Japanese dance troupe enters realm of the senses

Node/The Old Man of The Desert
Takayuki Fujimoto and Tsuyoshi Shirai

An old man lives in an oasis in a desert and, despite having never left it, knows almost everything about the world from conversations he has had with visiting caravans.

This story, which Takayuki Fujimoto first read in the afterword of an anthropology book, lends the title to the Japanese director and lighting designer's latest multimedia production. Node/The Old Man of The Desert is a performance revolving around the four stages of human understanding: data, information, knowledge and wisdom.

"Data is sorted and edited to mean something, and then it's regarded as information," explains Fujimoto, a member of the performance collective Dumb Type since 1987.

"The same data may mean different things according to how you edit it. One must decide what to choose out of the information obtained based on [the person's] experience and will. We must realise that it is important to nurture the ability to do so. A reality may seem to be one thing, but it may also be something else when looked at from a different point of view."

Presented as an allegory of the altered reality where the body meets digital technology, Node/The Old Man of The Desert is choreographed by Tsuyoshi Shirai of AbsT. The work features a small roster of butoh (Japanese traditional dance theatre) and contemporary dancers working with computer and sound programmers.

"Not only Tsuyoshi Shirai but also [Dumb Type dancers] Takao Kawaguchi and Yuko Hirai are familiar with working with digital technology on stage," says Fujimoto.

"Although they cannot do digital programming, they have certain knowledge - in terms of information and experience - regarding what can be done using digital media."

A violinist, Yasutaka Henmi, will act as the "living analogue interface", connecting what happens on stage with all the other technical elements during the performance.

"The live sounds Henmi makes on his instruments will be digitally processed into different tones and sounds," says Fujimoto. "In addition, the muscle sensors he wears on his arms will trigger other sound sources to add to his music."

With its myriad sensory arrangements forming an engrossing whole, the work promises to be quite an experience for audiences who are ready to open their minds - and plunge in the realm of the senses.

edmund.lee@scmp.com

Hong Kong Cultural Centre Studio Theatre, 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, September 20 and 21, 8pm; September 22, 3pm. HK$200, HK$260 Urbtix. Contains nudity. Inquiries: 2268 7323