I swallowed a moon made from iron is a haunting meld of voice, the piano, and video
Njo Kong Kie’s song cycle sets the poetry of Xu Lizhi 許立志 to music, February 4 to 6
Photo by Dahlia Katz
What are the human stories behind the digital devices we use every day? Now a haunting musical ode to the migrant workers who make our technical gadgets is coming to life online free at PuSh, from February 4 to 6.
Njo Kong Kie’s song cycle I swallowed a moon made from iron draws on the poetry of the late Xu Lizhi 許立志. He was one of hundreds of thousands of workers who toiled unseen and unrecognized at a giant factory in Shenzhen, China.
The young artist’s spare and profound poetry is an indictment of labour exploitation: published after his death, it chronicles the horrendous working conditions, long hours, and low pay that are a fact of life in the world’s largest factories. Even more importantly, it offers us a look at his interior life—his hopes and dreams, as well as the burden of his existence.
Kong Kie’s music weaves those words and ideas into a song cycle that blends the voice, the piano, and video imagery in a show that’s as much a cry of protest as it is a lamentation for our digital age.
The result is a powerful work about human dignity and economic injustice, set within deeply beautiful song.
Kong Kie is a composer for dance, opera and theatre. His works include music for the play Infinity and the operas knotty together and La Señorita Mundo.
The PuSh Festival has sized back this year to a small series of mostly virtual events; see more information here.
This post was sponsored by the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival