Performance by Jingwei Bu
Friday 22 November 7pm
Artist Statement
“The 9 Meters Pour” is a contemplative performance that delves into the tension between nature’s unrestrained power and flow and humanity’s impulse for control. In this one-hour performance I engage with a single drops of tea, guiding their unpredictable journey across a big sheet of watercolour paper. As the tea moves on the smooth surface, I attempt to direct its course: a play between gravity, chance, intention, and surrender. The familiarity I have built up with the primary materials of the performance, tea and paper, allow me to take risk with confidence: embracing the unexpected and letting what happens comes.
The trails left by the tea form intricate patterns, evocative of natural landscapes and waterways—symbols of life’s essential cycles. The stains that emerge on the paper trace the organic formation of these landscapes, a subtle reminder of the preciousness of water as a resource for all living beings. Yet, the human presence in shaping the paths of the tea also introduces a metaphor for contemporary life, where the natural world is continuously marked by human interference. This piece reflects on the complex relationship between the environment, control, and the impact of human actions on the Earth’s natural rhythms.
Informed by the wisdom of water, a key Buddhist Chan teaching, the performance seeks to embody the understanding that true strength lies in fluidity and adaptability, where one can harmonise with the natural flow of life while recognising the importance of releasing the need for constant control.
The Little Machine is supported by Renew Adelaide and City of Adelaide
Jingwei Bu is supported by Arts Sa and Guildhouse.
Photography: Sam Roberts
