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Thursday, February 27, 2003
Amazing Grace: George Chua Interviewer : Dawn Fung George Chua is a multi-disciplinary artist. His epic work is Genealogy, an umbrella of projects based on the art of storytelling. "For the sake of the gospel, you need to tread carefully...And I feel as if it's time to bring the amazing back to grace." George amazes me with his charismatic beng-ness that reeks of God. He's one person who defies labels so much, that CreateLeVoyage is proud to have him grace this month's Artist of the Month. Listening to George can be like you're in church. He doesn't stop praising God and he doesn't intend to. I've summed up the gist of our conversation after a long night. Start taking notes. It started when I asked GC, "What motivates you?" George : God put things together one day at a time. Though it's no problem for him to finish creation in a day, he knows when to stop, and when not to overload. You cannot do too many things at one time.Nor can too many people do one thing: Five cooks spoil the broth. Now we are talking about the term 'cohesiveness' - the current stream of thought in creating work. The point of departure is finding common things people can work with. Look at music - when you find some people of that quality that you need. Therefore, being Spirit-led is important. It helps to recognise someone who might be able to help you out, by the Spirit. There’s no better way. Another thing to watch for is the space. We talk about my previous work at The Third Place last month. George : That space works well with small things. Small things can be highlighted in a big space. Some things are so big you miss it. One of the key aspect of my work is to feel. Let me explain what I mean in respect to my last work in Zero Hour. In order for people to start being dignified again- because the gospel dignifies people- make them the object of God's love. In order to receive, they must feel that life itself is not a mockery. Love is not blind, love is light. I am concerned with childhood. I've been thinking of the topic of lost childhood this year. And I'm coming in from a spiritual perspective, not literally like someone losing their childhood. In terms of presentation I want to suggest the lost. To provoke thought and not magnify the lost because it doesn't need to be magnified. If I think I do, the human spirit goes down again- that's the effect of magnified loss, leading to depression. What is enough is that they must feel as if they lack something in order to reach it. In concrete terms, A man must feel like he needs God in order to reach it. Compare this to the self-sufficient a.k.a self-indulgent man. My audience are secular to the max. What I want to plant in them is a doubt that is in line with my faith but opposed to what they believe in. My work suggests a doubt in their reality. Because their reality needs to be doubted- to me, it's not okay to be stoned out all the time. That kind of lifestyle has to be challenged. It symbolises a certain kind of death for me. It kills the spirit, and hardens the heart. It kills the human (literally) yet our God is good because he is above all. Those who forgive much will love much. This is one of the motivations that I will openly speak out. If I am being asked by secular world, I would approach it in a different way. The name of Jesus Christ contains power and strength. People who have been in the darkness for too long cannot handle the light. And that is the reason why, when Jesus Christ enters a conversation, they are ready to condemn or they shun away, as if their eyes get hurt by a sudden switch of the light. You cannot do that- switching on of that sudden light- out of love. For the sake of the gospel, you need to tread carefully. I know church drama has its place but the area I work in is particularly sensitive. Hardcore atheist and academics- they believe that nothing is absolute.The whole post-modern philosophy has been followed closely by avant garde and new age productions. The devil closes the door to the gospel quickly in any way. But I am not ashamed of the gospel. I want to loosen the soil for the kingdom to let them see that Christianity is not stereotypical, or dogmatic (which usually is implanted in our cultural construct) and let people open up. Many people open up to me. I feel that God is gracious, where I can receive such favourable responses. If my art can draw them in, for example in Zero Hour to recall some childhood memory of worship, they might have a new perspective of this new amazing grace, contrary to it portrayed only as an old hymn. Amazing Grace is ever life giving. It is never about one thing. The only thing constant thing about amazing grace is growth. In life there is growth - Inner and mental growth, healing and energy. It's this very amazing force (a.k.a Jesus) that forgives our sin. And I feel as if it's time to bring the amazing back to grace. The problem in the world is that people don't see the amazing anymore. They see solemnness, they see preconceived ideas of even a song. The song is just an expression. At the end a song is a song. But even in a song there lies dogmatic connotations. So I think that if I can change even the perception of the song - God always find the great in the small- I have done my duty. Christ has done all that can be done, I'm just chasing after his love. For me, the depth of grace is forgiveness found. It's so deep yet it never overwhelms you. It goes according to what you can handle. As you walk into grace, it will grow deeper in you, as you do. The responses to Zero Hour are similar. Firstly I cater to a mostly secular crowd. Most of them felt the sense of nostalgia. And different people interpreted that differently. They feel a sense of nostalgia in the first part of Zero Hour, the sound installation. I jump. Me too. George : And subsequently the simplicity of the second part counteracts against the first part. The two complement each other, and completes the performance. Concept wise, I could create only the nostalgia and loss but that leads to nowhere. Contemporary work affirms the gap but offers no alternative. I offer the simplicity of the body moving to the harmonica - it seeks the state of liberation that drives away the melancholy. I do a lot of breathing movements as if I am gasping for air, to signify the appreciation for life. Movements that I am concerned about are symbolic, using simple lines like the rising up from a bended knee to a straightened body- it could read resurrection and growth. Curving down also symbolises surrender. With the arm raised up and the knees bent down, the arm seeks to lift something else up. The contrast of human physicality of the body trunk and hand suggests a lifting up of something else that I leave to the imagination. However, it is spelt out clearly to the tune of amazing grace. I think the harmonica is beautiful because the music soothes the spirit of the [secular] audience. It was a common comment I received. It gels together the body and music in the finale. I chose to play it twice. I think of it as giving my audience the amazing grace. It affirms something when they tell me they felt emotional and they can feel the intensity. The rest the Holy Spirit can take care of. I believe that what they feel has to come out of the Holy Spirit, as the amazing grace sets. As an artist I walk in the spirit of God, and by faith my audience will be moved by something else that is not of the darkness. That is my spiritual contribution. I understand my audience well. Those people that come for my show consists of a cross section of non-believers from many so called intelligent sectors. Writers, artists, truth seekers etc. Because of the feedback and my conviction of this work, I hope to re-present Zero Hour again. Fellow Christians, the Substation staff, and the secular audience were favourable to the work. God is gracious. Going into more theatre information, I asked if GC as a solo artist would consider hiring a director to fine tune any performance. George : No a director wouldn't work for me. Frankly and personally, it is because I have not met a Christian director who is good. Currently God is the best director, until I meet a great earthly master of an art form. I have met some secular masters, learnt certain crafts from them, but my God is above all of them and can guide me through. To elaborate, a trainee can be confused by them or learn from them. For example the Butoh founders - Kazuo Ohno and Hijikata. Hijikata inspires me in an earthly way- I haven't seen anyone like that. Min Tanaka [another famous Butoh dancer] comes in teaching from a different perspective- farming method training. However, Kazuo Ohno is one of the exceptional role models- as a practicing, confessing Christian, he has the fruit of the Spirit that makes him a living testimony. That makes him a cut above the rest. Added to the fact that though he is 97 years old, thousands go watch him move across a stage. His energy that comes out is termed dance even though he exhibit dance anymore. Who can believe that? It must be God, and he confirms it with his mouth.I would love to be like that when I am 97 years old. Other than that, it's interesting to read the background of Butoh. The two of them were close friends, although their religious beliefs that kept them arguing- Ohno was Christian and Hijikata was atheist. But get this: At his deathbed Hijikata believed that there was a god and danced a last dance for his last audience. It gives me strength and inspiration to know that God cannot be limited. I would say that my advice would be the same for anyone on earth : Seek God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added to you. I can't give better advice than what the bible gives. To fellow Christians in arts: God gives lots of advice in The Book. A Verse for you people: all the promises of God is yes and amen in Christ Jesus. 2 Corinthians 1:20. People talk about spiritual warfare and receiving healing - this is a powerful verse. God promises you victory the minute your faith receives this verse. All grace flows when the revelation opens in the heart. We know we are all in Christ, and the promises are yes.
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