new media puppet play opera performance
in collaboration with Master Wong Fai,

2018, 60 minute live performance

“In a collaboration between German-American artist duo, Eteam, and master puppeteer, Wong Fai, Zhong Kui and the Reform of Hell is a modern showcase of the rich Chinese puppeteering tradition. 

Centering on Zhong Kui—a vanquisher of ghosts and evil spirits—and the White Bone Spirit, a character from Journey to the West, this multimedia performance is an adventure spanning millennia and employing video game fight scenes, video art and audience participation. It tells the tale of how Zhong Kui, enamoured of the paper offering phones and tablets he receives, escapes from the underworld and into the future.

This is a sprawling and surreal tale, taking in themes as diverse as technology addiction and obsession with beauty, seamlessly melding traditional puppetry and innovative multimedia art.” – Billy Potts

Story: Zhong Kui, mostly known as the ghost catcher, is still frustrated about the unfair treatment he once received due to his facial appearance. Assisted by the White Bone Spirit, a shape-shifting demoness, who ended up in hell when she resisted her abusers, Zhong Kui catches a ride on a drone and leaves the hell of ancient times. He is now among us as a computer specialist behind a screen, who catches bots and viruses. “Zhong Kui and the Reform of Hell” draws a connection between storytelling and handheld devices.

With the physical presence of the puppeteers in bringing ancient characters to life, eteam reveals the mechanics of how stories and news media are created. Yet, once a viewer is drawn into the story, these mechanics seem to disappear. The suspension of disbelief hovers in a state of fluctuation and one can’t help but wonder who is human, who is ghostly, who is artificial, who is controlled, who is operating, who is spirited and who has personality: the operators, the puppets, the technological devices, or the systems that keep them in proximity.

>>> this blog chronicles our ongoing collaboration with Master Wong and related research interests

This piece was made possible through a one year residency at the Academy of Visual Arts at the Hong Kong Baptist University.