Nancy Tam moults translucent skins from dawn till dusk in ...wreckage upon wreckage..., December 2 and 3

A Wake of Vultures interdisciplinary show presented by Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre explores themes of the past and future

By emily lyth

...wreckage upon wreckage...

Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre and A Wake of Vultures present Nancy Tam’s …wreckage upon wreckage… at Morrow from 7:47 am to 4:16 pm on December 2, and from 7:49 am to 4:15 pm on December 3

WHAT MIGHT IT look like if a human were to moult its skin? Nancy Tam answers that unsettling question in a remount of …wreckage upon wreckage…, her day-long interdisciplinary performance with A Wake of Vultures.

From sunrise to sunset, Tam wraps her body in cling film and tape until she is fully encased, and then moults the translucent human-shaped chrysalis, leaving it behind as she evolves. Repeating the process throughout the day while audiences come and go as they please, Tam prompts reflections on letting go of the past and progressing into the future.

Presented by Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre, …wreckage upon wreckage… is accompanied by an immersive soundscape from Tam and composer Charlie Cooper. The performance, which takes place at Dumb Instrument Dance’s creative space Morrow, features additional contributions from AI designer Paul Paroczai and AI consultant Kivanç Tatar.

Nancy Tam. Photo by Sewari Campillo

“I first saw ...wreckage upon wreckage... almost a decade ago when I was an emerging artist,” says Derek Chan, Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre’s managing artistic director, in a release. “It might even have been my first experience of Nancy’s expansive body of interdisciplinary artistic work. The mesmerizing, oscillating tension and harmony between past, present, and future that exist within this durational, accumulative, transformational piece stuck with me for a long time.”

Tam is a Hong Kong-born sound and performance artist that works across multi-channel audio and musical compositions to create art that leans into rigorous dramatics. She is a founding member of the interdisciplinary performance company A Wake of Vultures alongside Daniel O’Shea and Conor Wylie.

Tam is also a member of the Five Blessings Collective with Chan, Robyn Jacob, Jasmine Chen, and Howard Dai. Check out Stir’s feature on Tam in our 2023 Fall Arts Guide to learn more about the projects she has in the works.  

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