2025 TAF: Sensing Dark Matter

7.7 (Mon) 12:00 TPAC Member pre-sale
7.14 (Mon) 12:00 Tickets can be purchased

In the vast universe, 95% of existence remains invisible to us - a mysterious web of dark matter and dark energy that silently orchestrates the movement of galaxies and shapes the cosmos as we know it. It is omnipresent, possibly passing through our bodies at this very moment, yet cannot be touched or directly perceived.

This immense unknown deeply captivates choreographer and new media artist SU Wen-Chi. She contemplates: if even the most advanced scientific instruments struggle to capture dark matter, could we approach this hidden force that shapes the universe through other means - through our bodies, through perception?

To create "Sensing Dark Matter," SU Wen-Chi and YILAB ventured into Australia's underground dark matter laboratory one kilometer beneath the surface, engaging in dialogue with physicists. Dancers became "detectors," responding to the imagination of dark matter within the shadowy space. Through 3D scanning and motion capture technology, the dancers' physical vocabulary transforms into flowing particles of light in a virtual universe, accompanied by a 64-channel surround sound system where every breath triggers whispers from the cosmos.

This is not a scientific documentary, but an immersive journey of relearning "perception." In an era that pursues transparency and analysis, "Sensing Dark Matter" reminds us that the human spirit still needs mysterious existences that cannot be fully explained. We invite you to dive into darkness, release your senses, and feel the universe's unknown through your body - because even in the deepest void, human consciousness and body can still dance, responding to that silent yet profound pull.

SU Wen-Chi

SU Wen-Chi is a choreographer, and new media artist who founded YILAB in 2005, dedicated to innovative integration of new media and performing arts.  YILAB's performances and exhibitions have appeared at significant art platforms worldwide: Taiwan's Guling Street International Theatre Festival, Taipei Digital Art Festival; Asian Arts Theatre in Gwangju and Loop Lab Busan in South Korea; Arcadi and SCOPITONE in France; Kunstenfestivaldesarts in Belgium; Potsdam Dance Days in Germany; as well as InShadow Lisbon in Portugal, Kalamata International Dance Festival in Greece, Sparks CERN and La Bâtie in Geneva, Switzerland, Asia TOPA in Australia, among others. Since 2016, SU Wen-Chi has embarked on interdisciplinary creative projects bridging science and art, working with artists and scientists through workshops, seminars, and performances to explore the philosophical implications of quantum physics and astronomy. Her works have received international recognition, including "Off the Map" being selected for the 2013 World Stage Design Exhibition, "W.A.V.E." winning the 2017 World Stage Design Alternative Design Gold Award, and "Black Hole Museum + Body Browser" being nominated for the 2023 Annecy International Animation Film Festival VR section. SU Wen-Chi actively participates in international artistic exchange and collaboration, having been invited to Switzerland's Belluard Bollwerk Watch & Talk program, Geneva Science and Art Workshop, choreographing for the Indonesian opera "Gandari" at the Frankfurt Book Fair opening, as well as YCAM Dance and Technology Project in Japan, and dance design for "L’Après-midi de la Gravité" at the Quanta Tech Art & Performance Festival. She is also active in international teaching, having led workshops including the Indonesian Dance Festival's New Media and Dance Workshop, Hong Kong West Kowloon Cultural District's "New Works Forum: Multimedia and Dance Creation," Taipei National University of the Arts Technology and Art Center's "Body and Matter: Science and Performance Workshop," and Singapore Arts Festival's "New Media and Performance Workshop." In 2021, SU Wenchi's artistic collaboration with Swiss luxury skincare brand LA PRAIRIE was exclusively exhibited at Art Basel Miami Beach, demonstrating her unique cross-disciplinary creative charm. She has received the Special Jury Award at the 9th Taishin Arts Award and was invited to participate in Cloud Gate's Spring Riot 2024, continuously expanding her artistic boundaries.

YILAB

YILAB was founded by SU Wen-Chi in 2005, reimagining the possibilities of contemporary performing arts through a unique cross-media perspective. The company embraces a creative philosophy that "no single central medium exists within a work; rather, it is composed of concepts that appear similar yet collide with one another." Within this creative ecosystem, each artist maintains their individual identity, freely expressing perspectives while collectively exploring the deeper meaning behind each project's core themes. YILAB's distinctive creative approach lies in its skillful integration of dance, visual art, and new media art, exploring the multiple relationships between body and technology in the digital age through fluid forms of expression. The team is dedicated to developing new artistic vocabularies and aesthetic pathways, while providing audiences with a unique perspective to contemplate the dynamic balance between technology and humanity, as well as our identity and meaning in an increasingly digitized world.