Choreographer | Juolin Lee
Name of piece | Soup of Forgetfulness
Venue | Firehall Arts Centre
Soup of Forgetfulness is an invitation to imagine and reimagine goodbyes. Inspired by Mo Po Thang (孟婆湯) a Taiwanese folklore myth about the afterlife and the cycle of reincarnation, the work navigates the liminal space between the living and the dead. If each spirit is emptied at the start of a new life, can ancient, impactful memories still be held beyond conscious recollection? Perhaps the underground realm, where life cycles blur, is not just a passage, but a portal to ancestral knowing, where echoes of lived wisdom quietly linger.
Soup of Forgetfulness had its genesis as part of Odd Meridian’s paid residences at Morrow, during which the work was generously supported by 3 weeks space and fees for choreographer, collaborators and mentor. Odd Meridian continues to champion the work by generously funding the lighting designer’s fee for its premier at Dancing on the Edge.
Choreographer and Performer: Juolin Lee
Juolin Lee is a Taiwanese-Canadian dance artist gratefully living on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish Peoples. Juolin’s understandings of dance were influenced by her engagement with the Vancouver based companies and artists she greatly admirers, such as The Biting School, Hong Kong Exile, Co.Erasga, Odd Meridian Arts, and Battery Opera. As a creator Juolin is drawn to the connections between the living and the non-living matter, the spaces she inhabits, and the stories she inherits. Through openness and curiosity, Juolin wishes to continuously unpack her idea of self and her relationship with the world.
Lighting Designer: Chengyan Boon
Chengyan is a lighting designer and technical director and a grateful guest on the traditional and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səlilwətaɬ Nations. He is a frequent collaborator with Odd Meridian Arts, Dance//Novella, Shakti Dance, Corporeal Imago, Crossmaneuver, Dancers of Damelahamid and previously with the late Colleen Lanki at Tomoe Arts. He holds a BFA in Theatre Production and Design from UBC and is a member of IATSE ADC 659. Design portfolio at chengyanboon.com.