Whaling, and Humans Reincarnated as Whales — Ocean Cage Pays Homage to Tradition Through a Contemporary Vocabulary (Part2)

Text / Stella Tsai

The whale appears, the ancestral spirits return, and the call of “Baleo! Baleo!” echoes along the shore. Chinese visual artist Tianzhuo Chen and Indonesian choreographer Siko Setyanto bring the whaling traditions and ancient beliefs of Lamalera village in Indonesia to the stage with Ocean Cage. Through dance, electronic soundscapes, installations, and video, they weave a song of ecological symbiosis—one that is both cruel and gentle. In this interview, we return to the starting point of their journey and step inside the creators’ minds to understand how they embody sacred traditional beliefs at the boundary of reality and fiction, extending and reshaping cultural narratives through a contemporary vocabulary.
 

Q: In Ocean Cage, do the visual installations and physical dynamics “complement” each other, or do the visuals lead the dance/body, or does the body shape the space?

Tianzhuo: I would say I create an environment for Siko to dance in. The video guides the narrative, and the installations serve the characters and the dance—and to some extent, these elements also guide Siko’s movements. It’s a form of mutual understanding.

Siko: We don’t try to control each other—whether it’s the music, the set, the installations, the video, or myself. All the elements on stage operate on the same frequency, shifting fluidly through improvisation in the moment, including the reactions of the entire audience. What Ocean Cage presents is precisely an organic ecosystem where everything merges into one, gathering a collective force.

Q: How do you view traditional culture, and what are your thoughts on using contemporary media to create a new artistic vocabulary?

Siko: My way of respecting tradition is by trying to keep it constantly updated. That means I won’t treat traditional music, dance, or anything else as static museum artifacts—that’s too rigid. I feel a responsibility to bring tradition to the next generation of young Indonesians, rather than letting tradition drift away from them. Even though there is still a severe generational divide in Indonesia today, and cultural gatekeepers always say, “This is how we must treat tradition,” that approach no longer works in the modern world. It makes it very hard for young people to understand and respect it.

Tianzhuo: A few years ago, I made a piece called Dust, where I shot a lot of footage of traditional temples and instruments at a Tibetan Buddhist practitioner's monastery. I created a performance without human characters, letting objects tell the story. My interpretation of religion wasn’t very traditional. After shooting, I asked the teacher if I could screen the footage. After watching it, he told me the presentation was very fresh and an interesting way to pass Buddhist ideas to young people. I thought then that the minds of these practitioners were actually far more open than those of ordinary people who style themselves as “cultural gatekeepers.”

Siko: As a contemporary dancer, I can perform anywhere in the world, but I am still Javanese. My Javanese heritage is always with me. I keep culture in my heart; I don’t need to deliberately display it. Instead, while maintaining respect, I interpret it through my artistic practice so that tradition can continue to live on in modern life.

Q: Moving from a past focus on life and death to Ocean Cage, which explores the decline of ancient societies under the impact of modernization—does this piece mark a milestone in your long-term collaboration?

Tianzhuo: Compared to my younger, more punk self, my mindset in Ocean Cage is much more mature. Whether it’s the dancers, the video, the installations, or many of the mediums I’ve used before, they are presented in a better way in Ocean Cage. Also, because Siko is such a responsible and caring partner, working with someone like him helps you grow. I would say Ocean Cage is my most mature work to date.

Siko: I grew up in typical strict and short-tempered dance companies, so it’s rare to meet a creator like Tianzhuo who always gives me 100% trust and support. He gives me immense strength. We’ve been collaborating since 2019, and Ocean Cage allows me to freely express what I feel, which has deeply impacted my performance. It is very difficult for Indonesian performers to reach an international stage. The tour of Ocean Cage has entered its third year, marking an important milestone in my dance career. I thoroughly enjoy working with everyone; it feels like family.

Tianzhuo: As we tour more and connect with audiences from different countries, I can say that the version of Ocean Cage we are bringing to Taiwanese audiences right now is our most perfect state. Geographically, both Taiwan and Indonesia are nations closely tied to the ocean. I believe the Taiwanese audience will find a strong resonance with it.

Whaling, and Humans Reincarnated as Whales — Ocean Cage Pays Homage to Tradition Through a Contemporary Vocabulary (Part1)