The Faery Trails

Exhibition

6 Oct

Bury Art Museum & Sculpture Centre
Oct 2018 - Feb 2019

Inspired by the fantasy artwork of Arthur Rackham, the early films of the Lumière Brothers and responding to the absence of non-white bodies in the history of art, Lucas Chih-Peng Kao’s Faery Trails creates a magical site-specific exhibition reinterpreting traditional western folklore through a globalised lens. Bury Sculpture Centre became both gallery and studio as Lucas created a new series of films with local performers which were screened onto objects that he carefully handpicked from the Museum’s archive. Each film showcased the performers exploration of imagination through movement, identity and desire. The Faery Trails was part of the Asia Triennial Manchester.

Working closely with performers from the local area and using methods from physical theatre, psychology and storytelling, Lucas draws out a unique magical creature from the performers using their own imagination and psyche. Following this each participant’s creature costume were further developed in collaboration with scenographer Mona Kastell alongside rehearsals with the production team to define their character and movement.

LUCAS CHIC-PENG KAO

Lucas Chih-Peng Kao is a multidisciplinary artist and award winning short filmmaker born in Taiwan who lives and works in the UK. His works combines performance, dance, film and site specific installation together to create visually stunning experiences, questioning identity and representation.

He has collaborated with many artists to create dance films and is currently developing a performance “Catching Up with Oneself” with choreographer Kai-Wen Chuang to explore Identity and their experience in the UK. Receiving residential support from Dance Base and The Work Room, as well as performing in Hidden Door Festival in 2018.

His films have been shown in film festivals around the world and his art work exhibited with Royal Scottish Academy, Visual Art Scotland and Spectra Festival.