Image: HOME X, part of Kakilang Festival, showing at the Barbican until 25 February.

An-Ting is a concert pianist, composer, theatre director and currently the Artistic Director of Kakilang (formerly Chinese Arts Now) which produces and presents world-class art, and pioneers multi-disciplinary artforms from a wide spectrum of Southeast and East Asian voices. The Kakilang Festival 2023 launched with the production HOME X at the Barbican in February, and runs with multiple London-wide productions until 22 April.

An-Ting conceived, directed and composed the music for HOME X (at the Barbican until 25 Feb). It's a live theatre meets virtual reality show that acts as the opening production of Kakilang Festival 2023. In the show, digital audience members are joined by two explorers as they uncover a mysterious new world, confronting conflicts and realisations about what it means to belong, and the idea of home. The production utilises immersive technologies to bring together live dancers and musicians with mixed-reality environments, exploring philosophical concepts that are brought beautifully to life through An-Ting’s expert vision.

We caught up with An-Ting to ask about HOME X and the Kakilang Festival.

Ralph Barker: Hi An-Ting 安婷, great to speak with you. Let’s start by talking about your latest production, Home X - can you tell us a bit about what audiences can expect from the show?

An-Ting: The audience is in for a unique experience, as they will see half of the live performers on stage, including dancer Si Rawlinson and me as a musician, while the full performance, including dancer Suen Nam and soprano Colette Lam, will be playing alongside us in 3D on a 270-degree projection screen. The dancers will engage in interactive movements with each other and their virtual surroundings. The performance delves into the blending of reality and explores the interactions and possibilities within these realities.

Additionally, the audience will be taken on a sci-fi journey as well as exploring the theme of "home" through personal testimonies. The universal subject of "home" is one that resonates with many people, and the performance aims to bring the audience on a journey to discover nature and the earth as our ultimate home.

Image: An-Ting, Artistic Director or Kakilang Festival

Ralph: You have a very unique professional background, including a degree in Chemistry alongside your creative outlets. I’m curious whether you feel that your knowledge of chemistry informs your thought process in any way in terms of blending art forms and experimenting. 

An-Ting: As a chemist turned artist, I bring a perspective to my art with a rational way of thinking and eager to share my arts to my circles where many people are not familiar with the language. I feel a sense of purpose in aiming to create performances that are engaging and accessible so people who are not familiar with arts can also appreciate them. I am also always looking for new ways to blend different elements and create multi-dimensional stories and imaginations. This is what draws me to both chemistry and art, as both allow me to experiment, mix and create new things.

Image: DJ Oh Annie Oh, playing at Taste, part of Kakilang Festival at The Yard, on Sat 18 March

Ralph: As your work fuses technology, dance and drama, I wonder what your thoughts are on the rise of technology being utilised as part of the artistic toolkit. Are there any particular limitations or freedoms you experience when working with immersive technologies?

An-Ting: The impact of technology, particularly immersive technologies and AI, on the arts is significant and complex. From a personal perspective, I view technology as a valuable tool and a new opportunity for the creation of unique art forms. I also think it's very important for more artists to integrate technology into their works as it has become an integral part of our daily lives.

Thanks to technology, we are creating our artistic expressions that bring together performers from different realities and engage with audiences both locally and globally in HOME X. Working with teams from different cultures and backgrounds can also offer valuable insights and experiences.

Technology also has its limitations in the arts, particularly when creating works using immersive technologies. Developing these works often involves coding and a large amount of resources and software, which can be challenging for artists who are unfamiliar with the technical side of things and the limited amount of funding we have. The cost of working with developers is high and it’s also rare that they will be familiar with artistic languages, leading to a potential miscommunication and waste of time and money.

From a personal standpoint, it's essential for artists to have a basic understanding of coding and be willing to learn new software. This not only opens up a world of possibilities in terms of the work they can create, but also offers a deeper understanding of the technology we interact with in daily life. But it is ultimately a very fun and rewarding experience to overcome these barriers.

Image: Emmy The Great, will perform as part of Kakilang Festival, at Shoreditch Town Hall on Saturday 22 April

Ralph: Tell us about your upcoming collaboration with Emmy the Great. How did this come about?

An-Ting: I always consider Emmy the Great to be a talented artist and have a great appreciation for her music. I was delighted when we received her application for our commission programme, where she expressed a desire to create new songs related to her heritage. It’s really great to hear her say that our festival's vision feels like home to her, and I am very excited that she will be a part of the festival. I am very much looking forward to hearing her new songs.

Ralph: Who are some of your musical and theatrical influences? What are you most excited by right now?

An-Ting: For the music, I like Keith Jarrett and Ryuichi Sakamoto very much. And I’m affected by the Lecoq style/influence of the theatre. I’m excited to see Simon McBurney’s new work now. 

Image: 'every dollar is a soldier/with money you’re a dragon' as part of Kakilang Festival at Two Temple Place, on 24 and 25 March.

Ralph: Finally, can you tell us a little more about the Kakilang Festival. What else is coming up that we should keep an eye on?

An-Ting: I am super thrilled about all the shows in the programme and believe you should try to attend each and every one to witness the diversity of artists and a broad range of art forms. After HOME X, the State-less exhibition showcases the works of 10 phenomenal artists from the UK and Southeast and East Asian regions, as they delve into their personal states in relation to their physical surroundings. At Taste, you will be treated to fantastic music and enjoy a thrilling party with fantastic queer artists. In "every dollar is a soldier/with money you're a dragon", Daniel York Loh delivers his powerful text as a spoken word performance while pipa and erhu masters Cheng Yu and Wang Xiao play the new electronic music composed by me. Hazel Lam's new piece Light Vessel is another commission from us, in which a circus artist and dancer explore the dynamic relationship and movement using PVC plastic tubes. Jo Fong's The Rest of Our Lives is a joyful delight, created by Jo Fong and George Orange, both artists in their 50s and selected by The Guardian as one of the 10 Best Dances of 2022. The festival will conclude with new songs from Emmy the Great in April. Come to join us!

Find out more about the Kakilang Festival at kakilang.org.uk

About An-Ting:

An-Ting is a concert pianist, composer, theatre director and currently the Artistic Director of Kakilang (formerly Chinese Arts Now) which is a new NPO producing contemporary East and South East Asian performing arts in the UK. Her director/composer credits include Every Dollar is a Soldier/With Money (Two Temple Place, Horizon Showcase), Augmented Chinatown 2.0 (an app for AR, music and drama), Lao Can Impression (Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room), Coalesce (King’s Place), Bats and Beats (Soundstate Festival, Shanghai tour); director/producer credits include Citizens of Nowhere? (Duddell’s, China Changing Festival) and LSO Eclectica (LSO St Luke’s). Her background is a unique mix of science and art with a degree in Chemistry from National Taiwan University and a MMus and PhD in performance from the Royal Academy of Music.

In 2012, An-Ting founded Concert Theatre which pioneered a new hybrid genre mixing music and theatre. Productions such as Kiss of the Earth (UK tour, 2015) and The Tenant (National Portrait Gallery, 2017) were warmly received.

An-Ting’s music can be listened to on all digital platforms.

About Kakilang Festival:

10 live and digital productions with over 100 performances and events in high profile arts venues across visual arts, dance, theatre, music, technology, queer cabaret, family programme, Kakilang (formerly Chinese Arts Now) Festival 2023 will explore the notion of diasporic cultures in modern times from 21 February to 22 April 2023. kakilang.org.uk