The piece opens with the ensemble handling a piece of fabric together. The sounds of fingers through cloth gradually creating the rhythm. Bayangkan Bayang is an exploration of statelessness told through a series of vignettes that primarily tell the story of a young boy who finds out his birth certificate was registered at a now defunct registrar and is legally stateless. This bureaucratic faceless decision defines his life. He is vulnerable to exploitation, denied access to driving, higher education, and ultimately, love. The show reflects on the emotional impact of statelessness and alienation rather than the details of the politics. More general reflections on identity, racism and personhood are explored throughout as different family members give their perspective.
The play is an intercultural ensemble, from Native American,Indian, Polish and Malaysian influences taken into the movement, language and costumes with joy and tenderness. The play utilises puppetry, finger painting, singing, mime and movement to put the lived experience of stateless under scrutiny, moving fluidly through episodes and posing questions that go beyond the young man's story (Director Tristen ZiJuin). There is room for further exploration of these themes, but the focus on the family story is poignant. Projections add subtitles and visuals to accompany moments with family footage incorporated at the end. As our primary narrator YY Yong says “when you hear migrant, you think of motion. When you hear statelessness, you think of a shadow”. The verbatim text is poetic and contemplative; “what is this predicament teaching you?” guiding the audience reflects on the absurdity and unfairness of statelessness.
The programme explains that NGOs estimate hundreds of thousands of people live stateless in Malaysia and twenty-five million people worldwide are stateless. Whilst these facts are shocking, the emotional story told from a domestic personal point of view elevate the piece. The show excels at demonstrating the joy and humanity of the individual rather than discuss the complexity of government failures, although this would be intersting learn more about. Visually beautiful and warm, Bayangkan Bayang is a performance that engages and informs from the heart.
Cast: Tristen ZiJuin, Rosemarie Kingfisher, Ru Chaven, YY Yong, Kaja Posnik
Directed by Tristen ZiJuin
Produced by Leanne Lim
Stage Managed by MengChu Huang