Undercurrent
Undercurrent is a cross-cultural collaboration between Thai artists from Wandering Moon Performance Group and Northern Territory artists Gail Evans and Nicola Fearn. It combines elements such as puppetry, live performance and film projection, to allow a broad audience to engage with the work, regardless of language or cultural background.
by Tierney White
Built upon shared experiences and traditions of the participating Thai and Australian artists, Undercurrent is the tale of a young woman breaking free from her rural life back home to design and sell crocodile skin products in the Big Smoke.
Gail Evans and Nicola Fearn have been working with Wandering Moon Performance Group over the past two years, having spent the last two months together in Thailand rehearsing and performing Undercurrent in Chiang Mai.
Undercurrent producer, Fiona Carter, became emotional when reflecting upon the project. “I have a great passion for Asia, its people, culture and art. It's with an immense sense of joy that I've introduced Gail and Nicola to Thailand and watched them develop an understanding and relationship with this part of Asia,” she said.
“It's not easy working across cultures. There are language barriers and cultural misunderstandings – at first Gail and Nicola thought the Thai artists were shy, but it turned out the Thai artists were showing a cultural respect to their elders by waiting for Gail and Nicky to lead. The thing that gives me great pride is that, by tackling these challenges, the group has created a truly collaborative work, reflective of each of the artists in one way or another. This fulfils my aim as a producer to facilitate real connections and deeper understandings between Asian and Territory artists, rather than just plucking the creative fruit from the abundant Asian tree and leaving no legacy of engagement,” she explained.
On Thursday 5th November, The Brown’s Mart courtyard will be transformed into ‘A Taste of Thailand’ to celebrate Thai culture, food and dance, prior to the show.
Come along and witness the magic that can happen when local artists collaborate with our friends across the ocean – feel the Undercurrent.
