IS/LAND is a performance collaborative comprised of Asian Pacific Islander American and Asian artists, including movers Trish Abalo, ciale, Catherine Hepler, Chih-Hsien Lin, J. Amber Kao, writer/poet Frances Kai-Hwa Wang, and sound/visual artist Chien-An Yuan.
‘Invisible Embrace’ is a sound installation / performance by AAPI performance collaborative IS/LAND and Knight Arts Challenge Detroit and Kresge Arts Fellowship recipient and sound innovator Joo Won Park. A meditation on intergenerational healing, this performance interweaves spoken testimonials by Japanese internment camp women survivors with the reflective movements of the IS/LAND dancers. These women’s stories of resilience and survival, in the face of anti-Asian bigotry and a restrictive patriarchal society, spotlight how far AAPI women’s roles in American society have both progressed and yet remained stagnant. The restorative and healing properties through physical movement and storytelling are the central themes of ‘Invisible Embrace’, an experiential exploration of the connections between the dancers with each other, the audience, and the storytelling survivors.
