Tri_K > Journal #1

In autumn 2008, Dick Wong went to Japan to present Encounter@Tokyo. Takao Kawaguchi was his interpreter and Koichi Imaizumi was in the audience. After they met, it didn’t take long for them to agree upon doing something together. Three begets all things, as the Chinese saying goes, they were inspired by the number “3” and started to exchange emails between Hong Kong and Tokyo.

The title Tri_K is derived from the common alphabets in their names. To Dick Wong, it denotes a collective identification which becomes his point of departure in the collaboration. Similarities and differences. Individuality and collectivity. Norms and nonconformity. These are the issues that he wants to talk about in the performance.

To Takao Kawaguchi, Tri_K represents “trick”. It has a nuance of trap, danger, caution and is related to the question of truth or false. He also associates the word with game, tension, mischief, the number "3", issues of identity, interactions in a collaboration and manipulation of time, space and history.

As for Koichi, after hearing the title, he pondered a little bit and then mumbled: “I think it will work.”

To begin with, the three collaborators will take on different roles. Dick Wong is to initiate and propose. Koichi Imaizumi is to observe and document. Takao Kawaguchi is to comment and recompose. It is like when they first met - Wong presented his work, Takao was the interpreter and Koichi was in the audience.

An initiator, an observer and a commentator, the juxtaposition resonates with the archetypical relationship among the director, the audience and the critics in a performance. Only that the three collaborators will be the creator as well, with the objective of staging a performance which is as much about the collaboration itself as it is about the world at large.