無... or "Mu" is difficult, if not impossible, to translate into English. It's part of an illogical Zen riddle, or koan and essentially means "non-" or "nothingness."
University of Utah student, Arwen Ek, whom you might remember being arrested for performing in the street a few years ago, certainly has a formidable challenge before her: To translate MU into an embodied response to the koan.
The preview performance she gave last night was magnificent. Incorporating video, music and three forms of Japanese theater - Noh, Kabuki and Butoh - Arwen underwent a horrific transformation, de-constructing and rebuilding the nature of woman, only to re-emerge as MU itself.
So, if you're seeking for something to add to your weekend of Japanese culture (you ARE going to the Japanese festival this Saturday, riiiight? *nudge nudge*), "MU" will certainly answer that riddle.
MU Performance artist Arwen Ek combines movement, music, theater, visual art and theoretical physics. Studio 115, U of U Performing Arts Building, 240 S. 1500 East, 581-7100, April 24-26, 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $9/person, $7 for UofU faculty, $5 for students (with ID).
*Not suitable for audiences under 14*
(SLC Random Team)
I think I know the koan you mentioned: "Does a dog have the Buddha nature?"
ReplyDelete(Brandon Burt)