Art Activity Series “The Destination of Life”
Tue 24 Apr 2018, 8 pm
Heritage Space
From Hanoi Grapevine and Heritage Space
Inspired by the poignant and moving book “The Destination of Life” about death by Vietnamese author Dang Hoang Giang, published by Nha Nam Publishing Company in early 2018, Heritage Space Art Space and the bilingual website for cultural and artistic events HanoiGrapevine.com will be co-organizing the arts and literacy exchanges entitled The Destination of Life on April 24 and April 26 2018 at Heritage Space.
About the book, Nha Nam wrote: “The destination of life tells an unforgettable journey with the near-death. Entering “a world of tragedy and enormous loss, of dignity and self-esteem during tough circumstances, of betrayal and fear, of passionate love and unquenchable hope, in short, of all that belongs to man, at the most intense level,” the author seeks to find the answer to an inner urge: how should one behave when confronted by death, and what can death teach us about life?… A brave journey. A book filled with humanity and the ability to stir your soul”.
Using the book ‘The Destination of Life’ as a source of inspiration for creativity, Heritage Space, Hanoi Grapevine and the author Dang Hoang Giang has invited a late stage cancer patient and a group of improvisational performers in the fields of poetry, contemporary dance, playback theater, performance art, and electronic music to work together to create a performance. The artists will share with the audience the artistic expressions and vibrations of death, terror, pain, love… The show will last about an hour, consisting of two parts. The first part expresses the diverse multi-dimensional languages and emotions of the performing groups. In the second part, all the artist groups will be performing together in a script which was created randomly just a few hours beforehand. Participants are encouraged to take part in both performances.
About the author:
Dr. Dang Hoang Giang is a development specialist, social activist and author of many political commentaries. His research and advocacy activities aim to improve the quality of national governance, transparency and the voice of the people. He strives to expand the social civil space, disseminate knowledge, break down prejudices and stigma, and build a tolerant and compassionate society.
Dang Hoang Giang graduated from the University of Technology, Ilmenau, Germany with a Ph.D. in economics from Vienna University of Technology, Austria. He lives and works in Vietnam.
Giang is also author of two books: “Bức xúc không làm ta vô can”, “Thiện, Ác và Smartphone” (The Good, the Bad and the Smartphone) as well as a number of influential essays.
Introduction of the artist groups:
– Dance group:
Begins as a group of people who love creative dance moves, under the guidance of mentor/choreographer Do Hoang Thi Ngoc, a contemporary, spontaneous, improvisational dance group was formed. We are independent, nonprofessional dancers who hope to, through our movements, tell the stories that cannot be put into words.
Joining the project “The Destination of Life”, we hope to convey a part of the book’s message to the audience, bringing a different point of view, a different perspective, a different emotion on death – the final destination, or a special rest stop, of life.
– Playback theater group:
“Viplayback is the first playback group in Vietnam, founded and operated by a group of artists passionate about improvisational plays and story telling. ViPlayback was formed to create an open space for creative experiments in the art of stage performance. ViPlayback also wishes to create then chance to experience playback for everyone, regardless of profession, gender, age. Through sharing and recreating the stories of life, ViPlayback aim towards understanding and empathy between human in the society.”
– Ờ-jar-thờ-ơ poetry group:
The daring young (in)humans on the flying trapeze. The acrobats on thin blue lines. Whispering and searching for whisper(ers). Echo. Echo breathing.
– Music band:
Dan Henneberry & Friends are artists who take the audience on an imaginary journey into music space created form electronic music, voices, singing, and noises from the daily life. Depending on the listeners’ imagination, the journey could be a exploration of the Moon or Mars, caves full of fantastic creatures, or the ocean deep laced with gloomy singing voice of mermaids.
Attendance: 80,000VND (one drink included) to support the artists.
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Heritage Space is a combination of an art gallery, a library, a concert hall, co-working office, residency space, artist studios and some open-stages, which has the capacity to host art exhibitions, music events, educational programs, multi-creative forms, artist-in-residency programs and others. Run by a group of curators, artists, researchers, musicians and architects, Heritage Space’s mission is to become a HUB for individuals and groups working on multi-disciplines from both inside and outside of the country to support and develop the creative industries in Vietnam.
 | Heritage Space 1st Floor, Dolphin Plaza 6 Nguyen Hoang (for car) | 28 Tran Binh (for bike), My Dinh 2, Hanoi Tel: 04 6254 3319 – Hotline: 090 282 6769 Email: [email protected] Website: heritagespace.com Facebook: fb.co/HeritageSpace |
