Switchblade Operation:
The Longing
Co-Lighting Design
Kongsi Petak andCake Project
2023
A visual and dance performance
that reimagines two
groundbreaking choreographies from 1994 and 1995—Gui Qu Lai Xi and A World in the City—by acclaimed contemporary dance choreographer Loke Soh Kim, restaged in an unconventional industrial warehouse-turned-open performance space of KongsiKL.
Collaborating with Soh Kim, herself an esteemed lighting designer, was an enlightening experience.
The lighting for the first piece, an intimate duet, remained simple and restrained—retaining much of the original’s tone to capture the work’s sensitivity and quiet intensity. In contrast, the second piece adopted a more frenetic energy. Working in tandem with the set, the deep staging of the warehouse, the lighting design—combining stage and DIY fixtures—reflected the maddening chaos and relentlessness of urban life, while allowing for fleeting moments of tenderness amidst the harsh industrial backdrop.
Photos by Xiao Ma Yi (1), Taka Chang
(2 – 7), Low Pey Sien (8), courtesy of Kongsi Petak. Best Of 2023—“Switchblade Operation: The Longing”
Best Featured Lead Performer—Gabriel Wong for ‘Gui Qu Lai Xi’
Best Group Performance—‘A World In The City’
Best Choreographer in a Mixed Bill—Loke Soh Kim for ‘A World In The City’
Best Featured Lead Performer—Audrey Chua for ‘Gui Qu Lai Xi’ & Winnie Xuan for ‘A World In The City’
Best Group Performance—‘Gui Qu Lai Xi’
Best Choreographer in a Mixed Bill—Loke Soh Kim for ‘Gui Qu Lai Xi’
Best Lighting Design—Bryan Chang & Loke Soh Kim for “Switchblade Operation: The Longing”
Best Set And/Or Visual Design—Liew Chee Heai for ‘A World In The City’ & ‘Gui Qu Lai Xi’
Performance Page (CloudJoi)