Bound/Unbound
︎ Aug, 2024
Visual for Music&Dance Theatre, 2024
As Set designer and Visual designer, Chang Meng and I collaborated with the London based artist collective Tangram on Bound/Unbound, a multimedia dance and music theatre production that premiered at LSO St Luke's on Friday 9 and Saturday 10 August 2024.
The work traces the intertwined histories of two significant nineteenth century Chinese women, Afong Moy and Qiu Jin. Afong Moy, exhibited in America in 1834 as an exotic spectacle, embodies the objectification of Chinese female identity in the Western gaze. Qiu Jin, a poet and revolutionary, defied patriarchal norms and became a symbol of women’s emancipation. Their parallel narratives unfold through opera, contemporary dance, and live music, forming a visually layered theatrical structure.
The production brought together cross cultural performers including choreographer and Chinese sword dancer Yining Chen, percussionist Beibei Wang, Korean soprano Haegee Lee, alongside musicians from the London Symphony Orchestra.
Our stage design centered on a circular enclosed fabric chamber positioned mid stage, initially sealed and gradually opened in the second half. Two large gauze screens were suspended on both sides, creating spatial depth and translucent projection surfaces. Performers first appeared as shadows behind the gauze, then emerged into full light as the chamber opened, marking a visual transformation aligned with shifts in identity and agency.
Conceptually, the circular structure referenced containment and display, echoing how Afong Moy was presented as a living exhibit. The opening of the chamber suggested rupture and resistance.
Projection design supported the dramaturgy through restrained symbolic elements. Ink textures evoked introspection and cultural memory, while fire imagery suggested rebellion and awakening. Animated Chinese calligraphy carrying Qiu Jin’s poetry moved across the stage, at times condensing into concentrated beams of light that converged with Yining Chen’s sword choreography. In these moments, text, light, and movement aligned to form the emotional climax of the piece.
Bound/Unbound constructed a multi sensory theatrical environment in which installation, projection, choreography, and live music were structurally interwoven. The visual design functioned as a spatial and symbolic framework, transforming historical narratives into a contemporary reflection on visibility, resistance, and female agency.
LSO Official Page: https://www.lso.co.uk/whats-on/tangram-x-lso-bound-unbound/
Reviews
“This is a masterful telling of new writing about China’s history, realised with a deep-rooted originality that is provocative throughout. ”
——MorningStar
“Intoxicating overall mood”
——The Stage
Credits
Directors:Alex Ho and Sun Keting
Composers: Alex Ho and Sun Keting
Soprano:Haegee Lee
Choreographer: Yining Chen
Percussion: Beibei Wang
Visual Designers: Chang Meng and Ke Peng
Musicians from London Symphony Orchestra
Writers: Xiaolu Guo, Alex Ho and Sun Keting
Translator &Consultant:Yilin Wang Qiu Jin
Based on an original script by Xiaolu Guo
Photography : Mike Skelton
Special thanks to LSO production team
Co-produced by Tangram and the London Symphony Orchestra with support from the Bagri Foundation and Arts Council England
作为舞台设计与视觉设计，我和孟畅与伦敦艺术团体 Tangram 合作创作多媒体音乐舞蹈剧场作品Bound/Unbound。作品于 2024 年 8 月 9 日与 10 日在伦敦 LSO St Luke's 首演。
作品围绕两位十九世纪重要的中国女性：Afong Moy 与 Qiu Jin 的历史命运展开。1834 年被作为“异国展品”带到美国展出的 Afong Moy，象征着西方凝视下被物化的东方女性形象；而革命者与诗人秋瑾则以反叛姿态打破父权秩序，成为女性解放的象征。作品通过歌剧、当代舞蹈与现场音乐交织叙事，在舞台上构建出双线并行的历史结构。
演出汇集了多位跨领域的艺术家，包括编舞及中国剑舞表演者陈奕宁、打击乐演奏家王贝贝、韩裔女高音 Haegee Lee，以及伦敦交响乐团的音乐家。
舞台设计以舞台中央一个圆形封闭织物装置为核心，该结构在上半场保持封闭状态，在下半场逐渐开启。两侧悬挂的大型纱幕增强了空间纵深，并作为半透明投影界面。表演者最初仅以剪影形式出现在纱幕后，随着结构的开启走入光中，形成身份与主体意识转变的视觉表达。
圆形装置既是空间结构，也是象征符号，它隐喻了Afong Moy 被展示与凝视的状态，指向“被观看”的处境。当结构被打开时，象征压迫的边界被打破，空间转向开放与抗争。
在影像设计上，我们运用抽象水墨纹理营造内省与文化记忆的氛围，以火焰意象象征觉醒与反抗。动态书法影像在空间中流动，呈现秋瑾的诗句，并在高潮段落中凝聚为光束，与陈奕宁的剑舞动作形成视觉轴线，使文字、光线与肢体在同一能量场中汇聚。
Bound/Unbound 构建了一个多感官交织的剧场空间，舞台装置与影像设计不仅服务于叙事，更构成作品的结构框架，使两位女性的历史故事在当代语境中转化为对可见性、主体性与女性抗争的思考。
Visual Designs
Full Performance Video: