Channels
—Yo-Yo Lin
The performance unfolds in three movements, each offering a unique exploration of the body and its many dimensions. The first movement, “channel 1,” delves into the internal pathways within the body, guided by the energetic flow of qi 氣 as understood in Chinese medicine, and reflects on the cyclical nature of chronic illness. Lin illuminates the often invisible aspects of the body in illness and healing, weaving poetry with animations from her ongoing “soft data” archive. This archive captures the nuances of her experiences with chronic pain, revealing the inner landscape of living with disability.
In “channel 2,” Lin shifts focus to the body’s external pathways through movement and sound. Wired microphones capture the artist’s bodily sounds—creaks, cracks, and other internal rhythms—which the electronic musician Despina amplifies, samples, and morphs into a dynamic soundscape. Lin interacts with the music through movement sensors, turning her body into an instrument. Each performance remains uniquely unpredictable, as Lin and Despina engage in a symbiotic, cyborgian feedback loop of sound and movement that mirrors the shifting nature of the body.
The final movement, “channel 3,” emphasizes connection across distance, choreographed and performed with Pelenakeke Brown via virtual communication. Here, Lin honors the disabled community’s ways of forging connection and community despite physical separation, creating togetherness without leaving one’s room. The performance garments by designer Weijing Xiao embrace and extend the performers’ bodies, integrating materials like stainless steel fabric and liquid-metal twill. These wearable elements blend the organic and mechanical, creating a visceral fusion of body and machine.
Throughout this one-hour performance, Lin asks the audience to consider the invisible connections that link us to ancestral knowledge, the ways pain can become a portal, and the feedback loop of care that bonds us. She prompts reflections on virtual togetherness, which she frames as a form of astral projection, and reimagines our relationship with pain, care, and connection. Through Channels, Lin invites us to see that, even in isolation, we are never truly alone.