
Two exciting collaborations are happening in the small world of Thai arts.
B-Floor Theatre has turned its office and rehearsal studio into "B-Floor's Room" with a debut work beguilingly and ironically titled "Displacement" ("Phid Thi Phid Thang"), a collaboration between Jarunun Phantachat and Dujdao Vadhanapakorn.
At the premiere on Tuesday night, the intrigue didn't stop at the title and the concept, but continued in how the performers moved - with each other and with props of various sizes - through five colour-and-concept-coded scenes in 50 minutes.
The scenes can be rearranged at the outset according to the audience's preference. Exploring many definitions of the term "Displacement", the creators showed limitless possibilities in how humans, objects, nature, written text, sound and lights co-exist, trade places and functions, and affect one another.
"Displacement" is the last performance of B-Floor's "Next Fresh Thing" series, part of its 10th-anniversary celebration.
Add this to "Begin Again", one of the year's most memorable stage works, and looking back to many works through the past 10 years of this small yet dedicated ensemble - "Midah", "The Edge", "Crying Century", "Venus' Party", "GODaGardener" - we look forward to the coming decades.
Another significant characteristic of B-Floor is that the specific details in style and content of its pieces, such as each performer's technical brilliance and each director's degree of social and political awareness, vary from one work to another.
Its members take turns creating, directing, performing, composing music and producing, unlike many other troupes with clearly defined roles, which sometimes result in predictability.
Next year B-Floor Theatre will collaborate with Japan's Faifai in a new work on ordinary life, to be staged in Tokyo.
Be at 'the B'
See "Displacement" tonight at 7.30 or Tuesday through Friday at B-Floor's Room for Bt300. Book a seat at (089) 667 9539. Find out more at www.BFloorTheatre.com.
Only one way forward
Renowned visual artist Amrit Chusuwan joins Butoh-trained dancer Kittiporn Udomrattanakulchai in "For-49-Days", which examines the transition of life and death, known as bardo in Tibetan. "I saw the 'Spring in White' exhibition at the Bangkok Arts and Culture Centre, and was deeply moved by one work," says Kittiporn, "so I found out who the artist was, and this project kicked off from there." "For-49-Days" asks a poignant question: "If death were near, how would you say goodbye to your loved ones?" "It reflects a belief in Vajrayana Buddhism, that the state of mind survives while transitioning from death to rebirth within 49 days," Kittiporn explains. "During this period there are three major changes. And if we don't clearly understand bardo and are not ready for these transitions while we're still alive, we'll feel frightened experiencing them in death." "For-49-Days" is at Studio 4th Floor at the Art and Culture Centre. There are four performances, tomorrow and Sunday and next Saturday and Sunday, at 7pm. There is no admission charge but donations are welcome to the Peaceful Dying Project of the Buddhikha Network for Social and Buddhism.