M1 Singapore Fringe Festival: Motherland
Experimentation meets interrogation in “Motherland”, a performance by interdisciplinary artist Noor Effendy, A.K.A. fendy. The narrative revolves around two soldiers deeply in love but torn by divergent loyalties. Set against the backdrop of socio-political turmoil, the piece blends together themes of both conflict & the erotic…
This isn’t fendy’s first rodeo with M1 Singapore’s Fringe Festival; “Motherland” marks his seventh collaboration. He sees the festival as a creative sanctuary to explore sensitive issues. Looking back at his years at #M1SFF, he muses, “Fringe theatre is a safe space to tackle difficult topics. And then a festival on top of that provides infrastructure for this.”
fendy’s artistic exploration delves into the visceral experience of power struggles in social conflicts, focusing on violence & tenderness. “A lot of my work would have a high degree of violent actions. There has to be a lot of care when you act violently. So again, it pushes the research on tenderness and violence.”
Now, here are fendy’s secret ingredients: self-care & safekeeping. Also a lecturer at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, he stresses the importance of looking out for one another in the creative space, “some performers push themselves beyond their limits without realising it.” As a teacher, he’s learned how to keep a sharp eye on the mental well-being of performers…
Grappling with guilt has been a tough nut to crack while developing “Motherland”. “It [comes] from a great sense of being complicit through helplessness… I am the first to admit that I can never speak for the true horrors of war, because I’ve never participated in one”.
Peeling back the layers, fendy’s grand theme is the dance of hierarchical powers. As he paints a vivid picture of two political enemies falling in love, his piece addresses the inherent tension in interracial conversations “[which are] always violent because of ‘otherness’ and power play.” Audiences, akin to voyeurs, play a role in this power dynamic too by observing the performance from the outside. fendy’s interest lies in “how we view the oppression of others, the suppression of others, from the outside.”
Looking towards the future, fendy envisions “Motherland” as a preliminary study for a larger piece. “Motherland is a work that is still growing.” So #M1SFF is a stop-over in this rollercoaster through love, conflict & the nuances in between.
“Motherland” will be taking the stage from 18-20 January 2024 at Practice Space, The Theatre Practice.
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