CHIMERA
Filmed at
THE JAMES AND ANNE DUDERSTADT CENTER
APRIL 29, 2024
Chimera is an immersive 15 minute movement-based film, performed by APIA Performance Collective IS/LAND in collaboration with University of Michigan Masters of Science researcher Do Young Kim.
By definition, a Chimera is ‘an organism composed of mixed genetic tissues’ but also, when applied to science, a goal that is ‘that is hoped for but is illusory or impossible to achieve’. Both of these definitions apply to the experiences of AAPI women—how their experiences and complex life identities are vilified and simplified by the white supremacist patriarchy, but moreso, how their achievements are also subject to the glass ceiling, with aspirations and dreams made impossible by existing social standards. Is it possible for AAPI women in this country to fully integrate into the fabric of Western society, or will they always be subjected to being othered?
This filmed performance then confronts and questions these two conceptual definitions through an immersive sound/optics environment. By creating a space where movement intersects with propulsive electronic sounds while enveloped by light, Chimera creates a space for AAPI women to liberate themselves from societal constraints and fully embody their complex life experiences—as both a form of exaltation and transformation, converging into an apex of ecstatic catharsis.
The projection backgrounds for Chimera will consist of optical imaging selected by Kim, exemplifying the cellular transformation of AAPI women through the performance experience.
Chimera was made possible with support from the University of Michigan Arts Engine
Director: Okyoung Noh
Editors: Okyoung Noh + Chien-An Yuan
Performed and Choreographed by Mia Brooks, S Jean Lee, Catherine Miller
Music by Whodat + Chien-An Yuan
Installation: Okyoung Noh
Video Projections: Do Young Kim, Okyoung Noh, Chien-An Yuan
Producer: Okyoung Noh
Executive Producer: Do Young Kim
Camera Operators: Eesha Nagwani, Maddie Vassalo, Luke Rademacher, Dylan Chen, Mya Enzer, Aaron Williams
Video Support Staff:
Patterson McKinney - Managing Producer, Video Studio
Matt Girard - Assistant Audio Studio Manager
Catherine Miller - Assistant Video Studio Manager
Steve Eberle - MSA, Associate Director
