You should know by now that I am a sucker for bus tours. So when I read of "Cargo Kuala Lumpur - Singapore" (an interactive performance at the Singapore Arts Festival 2010), I had to get a ticket for the ride! This was better! It was a Truck Tour! It was a road trip - Reel on Real!
"Cargo Kuala Lumpur – Singapore" is a site-specific performance by the Swiss-German theatre collective Rimini Protokoll and produced by Hebbel am Ufer / Berlin. The makers wanted to observe and analyse contemporary society, preferring to work with ‘real people’ instead of actors to investigate little-known and much ignored aspects of their work and lives.
A left hand drive truck was specially converted with 1 way glass panels on 1 side of the container
The interior is equipped with collapsible seats, air-conditioning, sound and projection system
The audience took on the role of 'cargo' and is placed where freight used to once sit. In this story, we are art pieces being transported! We had no control, we were just being moved.
There's no break during the 2 hrs ride. All bladders must be emptied for best enjoyment.
In the cabin are two Malaysian truck drivers, Ramachandran (Rama) and Ravindran (Ravi)taking the audience on a simulated journey from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore. A live camera feed the audience conversations that happen in the front seats as Rama and Ravi share there experiences of work, family and hopes for the future.
As the truck starts to drive through lesser known streets of Singapore, their stories and music synchronises with gas stations, truck parking areas, shipping companies and motorways in a trip that feels just like a 3D-road movie.
You can't get a more true to life experience of the 2 truck drivers in similar comfort and safety. Juxtaposing the themes of ride, you are forced to reflect on issues like
- Sacrifices. Having to work away from home, the loneliness faced, the uncertainty of the journey.
The truck steadily ascends a huge, spiral carpark to the tune of Johann Strauss II’s The Blue Danube Waltz. It felt like a never ending climb. Then at the highest deck the speakers begin playing "Bengawan Solo", live by a solitary songstress.
At a container labyrinth a commentator cycles beside the truck methodically listing the attributes of the containers that pass us by. The environment is harsh, dark and damp. The wandering stray dogs reinforce this notion of a vast post-apocalyptic wasteland.
- Migrant workers living conditions.
Outside the foreign worker dormitories along Teban Gardens
The stars for the night
For the fact that we were on the road for real, there were little hiccups like traffic junctions to a short jam that made the experience less then perfect. Still the ride leaves one thinking long after everything is over.
An excellent review of the ride can be found on the SFA 2010 Independent Blog. Strongly recommend to read it.
More Singapore Arts Festival 2010 - Cargo Kuala Lumpur - Singapore Pictures
Read:
Singapore Arts Festival 2010 - Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall Backstage Tour
Wishing I had more time at the festivals
Singapore Arts Festival 2008 Opening Celebration - Water Fools
The 2007 Arts Festival Round Up
War On Wheels Bus Tour 2009: The Battle Box (Part 3)
War On Wheels Bus Tour 2009: The Sook Ching Massacre (Part 2)
War On Wheels Bus Tour 2009: Singapore Under the Gun (Part 1)
Kill Bill @ Halloween
When All Hell Break Loose
"Cargo Kuala Lumpur – Singapore" is a site-specific performance by the Swiss-German theatre collective Rimini Protokoll and produced by Hebbel am Ufer / Berlin. The makers wanted to observe and analyse contemporary society, preferring to work with ‘real people’ instead of actors to investigate little-known and much ignored aspects of their work and lives.
A left hand drive truck was specially converted with 1 way glass panels on 1 side of the container
The interior is equipped with collapsible seats, air-conditioning, sound and projection system
The audience took on the role of 'cargo' and is placed where freight used to once sit. In this story, we are art pieces being transported! We had no control, we were just being moved.
There's no break during the 2 hrs ride. All bladders must be emptied for best enjoyment.
In the cabin are two Malaysian truck drivers, Ramachandran (Rama) and Ravindran (Ravi)taking the audience on a simulated journey from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore. A live camera feed the audience conversations that happen in the front seats as Rama and Ravi share there experiences of work, family and hopes for the future.
As the truck starts to drive through lesser known streets of Singapore, their stories and music synchronises with gas stations, truck parking areas, shipping companies and motorways in a trip that feels just like a 3D-road movie.
You can't get a more true to life experience of the 2 truck drivers in similar comfort and safety. Juxtaposing the themes of ride, you are forced to reflect on issues like
- Sacrifices. Having to work away from home, the loneliness faced, the uncertainty of the journey.
The truck steadily ascends a huge, spiral carpark to the tune of Johann Strauss II’s The Blue Danube Waltz. It felt like a never ending climb. Then at the highest deck the speakers begin playing "Bengawan Solo", live by a solitary songstress.
At a container labyrinth a commentator cycles beside the truck methodically listing the attributes of the containers that pass us by. The environment is harsh, dark and damp. The wandering stray dogs reinforce this notion of a vast post-apocalyptic wasteland.
- Migrant workers living conditions.
Outside the foreign worker dormitories along Teban Gardens
The stars for the night
For the fact that we were on the road for real, there were little hiccups like traffic junctions to a short jam that made the experience less then perfect. Still the ride leaves one thinking long after everything is over.
An excellent review of the ride can be found on the SFA 2010 Independent Blog. Strongly recommend to read it.
More Singapore Arts Festival 2010 - Cargo Kuala Lumpur - Singapore Pictures
Read:
Singapore Arts Festival 2010 - Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall Backstage Tour
Wishing I had more time at the festivals
Singapore Arts Festival 2008 Opening Celebration - Water Fools
The 2007 Arts Festival Round Up
War On Wheels Bus Tour 2009: The Battle Box (Part 3)
War On Wheels Bus Tour 2009: The Sook Ching Massacre (Part 2)
War On Wheels Bus Tour 2009: Singapore Under the Gun (Part 1)
Kill Bill @ Halloween
When All Hell Break Loose
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