In the multisensory performance channels, Yo-Yo Lin explores the intricate pathways of the chronically ill body. Lin understands us all to inhabit multiple bodies: ones made up of what we commonly think of as our physical body composed of its parts and organs, and others seemingly invisible, extending beyond the skin, taking the form of energetic fields and kindred relationships. In her work, she generates connections within and between these bodies through the concept of qi 氣, networked technologies, and disabled embodiment. As materials for this exploration, she uses and amplifies the connective tissue of her own body as well as the care relationships that bond two or more bodies together. Weaving audiovisual poetry, bodily music, and technology-mediated dance together, the performance invokes crip, cybernetic possibilities for how we imagine our bodies. To the audience, Lin poses a series of questions: What channels exist within ourselves that connect us to ancestral ways of knowing? Can pain be a portal, and care a feedback loop? What are the electrical currents that we signal to one another, reminding us that even in continued isolation, we are not alone? Isn’t virtual togetherness another form of astral projection?
New York City, NY; NYC