Journal Entry #6 - Group Constructive Criticism

Revolution-Per-Minute (2009) by Choy Ka Fai

Response
Upon viewing this work, one is filled with questions and curiosity. There is an urge to pursue the story being told through this work. One is dazzled by the lights and the drama that unfolds through this performance piece. We are enthralled by the sounds that invoke more emotions such as distress, calm and confusion.

Description
The work itself is a performance art piece by Choy Ka Fai accompanied by an array of digital lights that are projected onto three large square blocks that act as movable stages for the actors as well when they interact with them. There is a row of CD-ROMs at the side, aligned perfectly and placed in perpetual motion. There is also a back area to this work, where some performers utilise as a space to perform other scenes.

Analysis and Interpretation
To provide some context, a story is taking place within this performance piece. Revolutions-Per-Minute or RPM actually has a tiny blurb attached to it which reads: "One Accident, Two Parties: Three Versions" and the tale which unfolds actually revolves around an accident that takes place as a high-speed motorcycle crashes into a pedestrian and a passer-by who becomes a witness to the event. The performance portrays each character as having their own backstories and how everything cumulates to the climatic event of the accident. According to Choy, it is also a "musing on collision: what happens when lives, bodies and memories plow into each other" (Choy, 2009). The lights and colours that unfold utilises the digital medium to create a sense of speed that is commonplace in the modern world. Everything moves so fast, like the CD-ROMs which are in constant flux. In an event where everything crashes, for a moment, everything seems to have collided in a singular point in time.

Evaluation and Judgment
RPM provides an interesting perspective on colliding bodies in a modern world. The digital projections provide an interactive space for the performers which is an intelligent choice of medium on Choy's part as it creates a surreal sense of space for both the audience and the performers alike. In one scene, projections provide the underlying tale behind a character, which leaves less to interpretation from the audience and carries the direct message across as we begin to understand a character's backstory through the artist's words. Some may argue that this is a limiting space, but that itself could be just one side of the coin, as the space being limited could have been Choy's intention in the first place. That we are all constricted by our own modernity that the only time when we connect is through the collision of bodies.

Source: http://www.ka5.info/rpm.html

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