Sheep Without Shepherd

This performance happened along an old railway line in my hometown. The track was used to transport goods and helped to develop the area. After the city grew, it was left empty, covered in weeds and surrounded by new buildings.

I spent over two hours slowly moving along the rail while wearing a ram mask. In Chinese culture, the ram is a symbol that connects people to the spiritual world. It is used in rituals involving sacrifice and communication with the divine. Here, the mask reduced the visibility of the face and directed attention to the railway itself. The performance approached the railroad as an object of offering, noting both its past value to the city and its current condition of neglect.  

The performance used task-based repetition, minimum gestures, and durational methods that rely on time, presence, and simple movement to change how a location is perceived.  The body slowly rebuilt the area with focused movement.  The piece examines the disparity between industrial structures that were formerly prized for their function and the cultural or symbolic dimension that frequently vanishes when their usefulness is lost.