‘a place we could not name’
collaborating with XUE and Mervin Wong

23 June 2026, 7pm
Esplanade @esplanadesingapore
Duration: 2 hours
Conducted in English
Admission for ages 12 and above
Contains darkness, trip hazard and strobe lights
RSVP: https://bit.ly/APWCNN2026

‘a place we could not name’ is an experimental performance proposition as evasive as its name. Blending body movement, improvisation, and responsive sound design, this showing distills residencies across Singapore, Bundanon (Australia) and Central Java (Indonesia).

Starting from the Esplanade Courtyard, this artistic investigation culminates in a one-hour experimental piece shaped by three entities/archetypes across shifting thresholds. Seeking to bring back a sense of the “in-between”, the work posits place as fluid and relational. Post-show discussion follows.

The project is supported by @esplanadesingapore @scapesg @dancenucleus@studioplesungan with past residencies at @studioplesungan@padepokan_seni_tjipta_boedaja @bundanontrust

Thank You:
Daniel Kok @daniel_diskodanny
Melati Suryodarmo @suryodarmomelati
Kate Britton @kate_britton @performancespace
Charles Kang @charleskhq
Pearlyn Chua @pearlstar
Sitras Anjilin
Dr. Diane Butler Ph.D.
Faith Tan @tfaith
Izumi Asakawa @ismenesg + the Esplanade Team + Xiaocong for taking good care of us.

XUE
Singaporean Butoh artist XUE centers Butoh as lived praxis across various disciplines and underground contexts. They are the founder of the Singapore Butoh Collective and an associate artist at Dance Nucleus.

Razan Wirjosandjojo
Based in Solo, Indonesia, Razan Wirjosandjojo works across dance, performance art, and film. He approaches the body as a physical and temporal site, where movement becomes dialogue between organ and soul through rasa.

Mervin Wong
Mervin Wong is a Singaporean sound artist composing immersive listening fields from classical strings and expanded electronics. He dissolves boundaries between performance, installation, and ritual.