ONGOING PROJECT, OPEN TO NEW COLLABORTIONS
Saudade is…
“… a vague and constant desire for something that does not and probably cannot exist, for something other than the present.”
– Aubrey Fitz Gerald Bell
“… a pleasure you suffer, an ailment you enjoy.”
– Francisco Manuel de Melo
Saudade is an ongoing project that I initiated in early 2019. Collaborating with a complete set of piano keys from a disassembled 88-key old piano, this project illustrates the role of objects as a conversational environment for the body to interact with. Moved by the (nearly ghostly) fact that all these piano keys, bearing the touch of the past players, are now silent, I have come to realize that they need the body to communicate again. I have been documenting different ways to interact the keys with my own body. The goal of this project is to create a dialogue or conversation between the body and the piano keys to manifest a type of nostalgia, saudade, a feeling of longing for something one has never experienced, or a desire to connect with the past, particularly a past that one could have never had.
Photo credit: Rebekah Alviani
2019 Performance
In October 2019, I collaborated with lens-based artist, Rebekah Alviani, on creating a performance as the first attempt to capture my relationship with these piano keys. We documented the performance in six video scenes.
2022 Performance
In June 2022, I documented a solo performance with the entire set of 88 piano keys.
These pieces are only the beginning of unpacking the relationship between these piano keys and myself. I am open to new collaborations with anyone who is interested in partnering for this project. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you are.