Hair Dance, Lanyu Seascapes, Shi Na Paradna

Overview

In this series of three videos, created in collaboration with Tsering Tashi Gyalthang, Tsai continues her exploration of the relationship between nature and spirituality through an examination of the Tao tribe from the Lanyu Island of Taiwan. Each video illustrates a different aspect of the island’s tradition and its intimate relationship with the sea.

Hair Dance focuses on the ritual performed by the tribe’s women, in which they use their sensuous long hair to emulate the movement of the waves in order to ensure the safe return of their men from the sea. Lanyu Seascapes captures the unpredictability of the sea, to which the natives have learned to adapt from moment to moment. Shi Na Paradna tells the tale of a boy who lost his soul to the sea. His grandfather performs a ritual to call it back.


2013

This project was part of Sharjah Biennial 11