Architecture at its pinnacle can be considered a monumental work of art. Jitti Chompee, artistic director of 18 Monkeys Dance Theatre and the Unfolding Kafka Festival, has built a reputation for using unusual spaces as canvases for his creations.
Since the beginning of his artistic life, Jitti, who is also a choreographer, freed himself from the constraints of the traditional theatre stage to explore other possibilities with abandoned or underappreciated spaces around Bangkok. This November, he presents his latest site-specific dance piece Party Animal, which relates to the language of space and form. Jitti has chosen the Nelson Hays Library in Bangkok and MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum in Chiang Mai as the venues, which will allow the audience to engage with the performers in a very personal manner.
The piece plays with recognition, strangeness and hidden feelings. In addition to expressing himself through the spaces he uses, Jitti finds inspiration from visual artists that depict striking images, including the sexually suggestive sculptures of Louise Bourgeois and the raw, disfigured works of Berlinde De Bruyckere. Jitti was especially taken by Bourgeois’ Couple, which gave him the idea of bringing his pink dolls to life as highly sexual creatures. The perpetually shifting juxtaposition of their bodies helps define the aesthetic for Party Animal. Jitti was also intrigued by the abstract structures of the naked bodies in De Bruyckere’s sculptures, which resemble natural human positions.
“Party Animal revolves around three main interests: cathartic behaviour in contemporary society, psychology of space and gender and identity issues,” said Jitti. “The idea for this project came when I was invited to a wild night at the Berghain club in Berlin. I’d heard about all the crazy things that happened at that club. At the core of this project, I wish to explore the catharsis that we find, among others, in nightlife. I like the fact that ‘normal’ people during the day can transform into something completely unexpected at night. I wish to change the paradigms of normality when it comes to sexuality, pleasure and basic instincts. In some spaces, people free themselves and let their hidden desires become reality with techno music or illicit drugs, etc. So, I want to find how the wide range of behaviours can serve as a starting point for gestures and movements in the choreography.”
He explained how space is integral to the conceptual power of the show: “Berghain is located in an old industrial building reclaimed by the nightclubbers. It reminded me of other examples where people from marginalised groups have found ways to use public spaces to free themselves from conformity. For instance, areas in Central Park in New York or the gardens by the Louvre in Paris have been used for many years by the gay community for impromptu casual sex acts, hidden by nature in the middle of the city. I am fascinated by the way people find new functions for spaces designed for a completely different purpose.”
For Party Animal, a handsome, 100-year-old library on Surawongse Road and a gleaming new art museum in Chiang Mai will play host to Jitti’s work
“Presenting a dance in unusual spaces away from the traditional theatre stage is a way to get people more engaged in the project. It allows them to experience arts in a more personal way,” he said.
“Abstract and conceptual art is not there to confuse us, but rather to give us freedom to interpret and make us think. It is important for me to propose a different, original programme to the library and local audiences in Chiang Mai, not only to differentiate my choreography from other artists, but also to give the opportunity to younger generations and expose them to inspirational conceptual art. I believe that performing arts can make a strong impression on young people while being an alternative way for them to learn. And by doing so, I hope to contribute to changing Thailand’s image by making it a destination for the contemporary art scene.”
Party Animal will take place on Nov 16 to 19 at Neilson Hays Library, Surawongse Road, Bangkok at 7pm; and Nov 23 at MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum Chiang Mai at 7pm.
