Mark

ABOUT OH!            PROGRAMMES

VOLUNTEER            
DONATE     

Pat Toh x Cheryl Beh
Art Experience 2 of 3 for AIYOH: BEING WELL



Artist Pat and host Cheryl shared multiple conversations over numerous walks in and around Woodlands. Their conversations brought up personal stories of exercise, the pursuit of fitness and our ideal goals of the body.

Through it emerged a participatory art experience where Pat and Cheryl guided audiences through a series of movements and gestures. Audiences were taught to understand their body and appreciate its limitations.


The Body Check-In


How often do we listen to our bodies? Stemming from Cheryl's own TCM body-check ins, the experience starts with a simple yet important act of listening to one's body.

Over the course of 10 minutes, audiences were made to be keenly aware of the inner workings of their body, noting every ache, tension and sore. At the end of the segment, they were instructed to identify where their body ached the most and to use that part of the body to sign their initials in the air. This was the first in many ways which they will use an unfamiliar body language to express themselves.
Artist:
Pat Toh

Hosts:
Cheryl Beh

 


Personal Kinesphere



Walking is an accomplishment of the whole body in motion. After Cheryl's body check-in, Pat invited audiences to walk very slowly and become more mindful of each joint that makes up the simple repetitive gesture of walking.

After articulating the act of walking, Pat introduced the element of speed. Walking at speeds 0 - 10, from slowest to fastest, Pat noted how she related to each speed personally.

At the end of the segment, audiences were invited to leave traces into the grass, signing their names into the land with their footprints.

Artist:
Pat Toh

Hosts:
Cheryl Beh



Social Body



We all move differently. What may be natural to us is tense and awkward for others. Audiences were invited to relate their own bodies to others around them in this segment by mirroring with other participants.

Often leading to a chaotic mix of movements between each person, they were forming social bonds through movement.

As audiences mirrored each other, they were instructed to form an imaginary triangle with two other audience members. Without saying a word, strange configurations developed as each participant became more keenly aware of their positions in relation to others. Some ran, others walked, but everyone kept a faithful eye on their own end points as they readjusted to maintain their imaginary triangle.

Artist:
Pat Toh

Hosts:
Cheryl Beh



Ground Sound Structure



What lies outside the body? How do we find our place outside our own skin? Building upon the Social Body, audiences were brought through a slow yet important act of listening.

As the social body came to a close, audiences were told to still themselves. As they stood completely motionless, they were prompted to be aware of how the body can never stay still - our heart beats, our lungs gasp for air. And beyond that, the rest of the world too. As the quietened themselves, they heard the distant sounds of the Woodlands Stadium, the muffed train tracks from the MRT and the sound of crickets chirping.

As they spent a moment situating their own bodies in the environment around them, they were invited to hum a note they were comfortable with. As they did, they were gestured to slowly gather in a close intimate circle.

Artist:
Pat Toh

Hosts:
Cheryl Beh


Sharing Circle



As the group gathered into a small intimate circle, they were prompted to closed their eyes and share how they felt about the body. From their aches and injuries, to their own personal stories of ageing, beauty and pain, audiences opened up their own stories of their body. In moments where audiences were not vocalising their perspectives, they were still invited to contribute through their hums.

Artist:
Pat Toh

Hosts:
Cheryl Beh



Mark
CONTACT US
OH Open House Ltd
92C Syed Alwi Road
Level 4
Singapore 207668
KEEP UPDATED!
︎ @ohopenhouse
︎ @ohopenhouse
︎ hello@ohopenhouse.org

MAILING LIST
Mark