No Rule Is Our Rule
Wen Hui & Eiko Otake
Synopsis
What marks does war leave behind – on the body and in the collective memory of subsequent generations? In What is War two artists come together whose stories are each connected in different ways with the same war in a deeply personal duet: the Chinese choreographer Wen Hui, who grew up during the Cultural Revolution, and the Japanese dancer Eiko Otake, a child of the post-war period in Japan. Together they interrogate the signs of violence that are written into bodies – both their own and those of many others. Starting with intense research into so-called “comfort women” – the women trafficked and systematically abused by the Japanese army in World War Two – they weave dance, video and text together into a moving reflection on memory, trauma and the continuing effects of historical guilt. What is War is not an historical reconstruction, but a radically contemporary, poetic and political gesture. Amid new wars and global crises, Wen Hui and Eiko Otake remind us how fragile – and how precious – each individual life is.
Tip: After the film, we will show the piece “What Is War” by Wen Hui and Eiko Otake. The film was part of the research for the piece.
The Film deals with war, death, and violence.
Photos: Wen Hui & Eiko Otake