Wei Zen Ho

WeiZen ho

Tell me about your time at Critical Path?

I was given a space residency and wanted to make the best use of that arrangement. We had to figure out the best way of moving around the framework so that it would work for us both.

We ended up doing 4 separate sessions in the year which created a bit of a broken structure, but I made this work for me as it allowed a contemplative stage between each time working in the space. I participated in several festival performance projects in between time at Critical Path and could apply discoveries and transfer insights from each residency stage into these performances.

How did you go about researching your topic of interest?

I wanted to focus on contemplation of mortality and how this physically affects us. Translating questions of death into physical form.

I started each creative development process with Pancha Tanmatra (a martial artform) that allowed me to cycle through the elements within the body in relation with external matter. I would go through 30-40 minutes of this physical meditation and then see what work was born from there – whether it be drawings that appeared for me or energetic movements, often faces would surface.

Has your creative process changed as a result of your residency?

I had many volunteers working with me and if anything they gave me a perspective on how I worked through their observation – gave me an insight and deeper awareness of what was going on. As my time in the space was divided into 4 sessions I was able to use things I had discovered from each session to inform several performances that came up throughout the year

What advice or comments would you like to give to anyone considering a residency with Critical Path?

Critical Path is such a fantastic space for research and one should not pass up an opportunity in any shape or form that is offered.

The people who work there, Margie, Helen, Yee and Justine (at the time), are incredibly supportive and engage you with a network of people who can assist you at the time and into the future.

It is a fantastic opportunity and a wonderful space, well worth any effort that may be required to participate in a residency (for me travelling from the Blue Mountains).

I also found it hugely helpful that Niobe Syme, who volunteered with me, documented the whole process. I received a great number of documentation images which I wouldn’t have been able to collect myself. This meant I could view my process from an outside eye and understand what I was doing. It also allows you to look back and understand the process in retrospect. Often your discoveries continue after the linear timeframe you are given in the residency, as you contemplate what has occurred and the documentation of your research really lets you continue to make discoveries.