兩位呀！ 唔該！Table for Two

Duo performance with Jing Pang
Hong Kong
Furnace Performance Art Lab, Hong Kong
Duration: 48 minutes
Photographs by Monika Deimling

Context:

The idea for this collaborative performance emerged in Spring 2023 when Hong Kong-based artist Jing Pang participated in the 82nd edition of PAS | Performance Art Studies in Leipzig, Germany. Our shared exploration of cultural aspects, politics, daily life, and mutual enthusiasm for performance art sparked a vivid and fruitful exchange. This ongoing dialogue naturally evolved into a performance when we reconnected in Hong Kong.

In this piece, we sought to merge observations from our different cultures, drawing from daily routines, rituals, behaviors, and materials. Our goal was to shape these elements into a cohesive visual dialogue.

The creation process was guided by an ethos of working with what was already available. Nothing was purchased specifically for the performance. This approach was essential in shaping the atmosphere, allowing us to focus on the purity of the actions we performed together.

Description of actions:
A collage of performance images and sounds is created by executing the following actions with selected material.

A small table with two seats is placed in front of a white wall. Under the table, wilted leaves and plants are stacked. Additional materials are arranged on the floor near the wall. The room is infused with the scent of herbs, soaked in water in a red bucket that is part of the performance setting. Sounds of nature -birds and soft winds – play from a hidden speaker. Jing and Johannes sit at the table as the audience enters the space.

• • Jing bathes her feet in the red bucket filled with water and herbs while performing a sewing-like gesture with her arm around her head.
  • Johannes uses a needle and red thread to sew together four sheets of paper, each bearing the Chinese characters for “Body” and “Space.”
  • The artists arrange the sewn papers on the table like a tablecloth.
  • Both dip bowls into paint and press them against their white garments: Jing’s skirt and Johannes’s shirt. Jing’s bowls leave blue marks, and Johannes’s leave yellow. Later, they press the bowls on each other’s chests, creating overlapping green circles.
  • Two silver plates filled with rice flour are placed on the table. Jing presses parts of her face into the flour, while Johannes throws the flour into his own face.
  • A plate of peanuts is set in the middle of the table. The artists button the right sleeve of their shirt and dress together, sharing limited movement as they attempt to eat the peanuts: Jing uses a fork, and Johannes uses chopsticks. Their efforts create a playful struggle as they try to eat simultaneously.
  • Both dip white slippers into the red bucket and slap them forcefully onto the seats.
  • Wilted leaves and plants are arranged on the floor around the table.
  • Each artist holds a candle; one is lit. The lit candle lights the unlit one before being blown out, repeating this pattern multiple times. Eventually, both candles remain lit and are fixed onto the table. This sequence pays homage to Hong Kong-based artist Tsang Tak Ping.
  • They lift the table and turn around, sit back down, and repeat the motion several times. As they move, their footsteps on the wilted leaves and plants create soft, crackling sounds.
  • The artists bind various wilted leaves and plants around their heads.
  • Standing at the table, they take turns burning small pieces of paper and tossing them into the air. The papers burn briefly before extinguishing mid-flight over the table.

Right after the performance, Jing Pang and BBB Johannes Deimling were portrayed by Tsang Tak Ping.
Photo: Monika Deimling