Presented by Gajah Gallery

Synopsis
Conceived during the 7th month of the Lunar calendar (Hungry Ghost Festival) in the midst of burning effigies and fires consuming the forests of Southeast Asia, An Invocation to the Earth confronts climate collapse through the lens of pre-colonial folktales and animistic ritual. The work offers collective words through incantations and dance as an offering and a resurrection of the fallen environmental defenders of the region, in the hope to repossess us with their spirit.

Story
Deep in the tropical rainforest of Southeast Asia, a series of incantations invokes the spirits of old, including those of the nimble trickster Kancil (mousedeer) and the ferocious Buaya (crocodile). The ancient animals enact their folkloric vendetta in a furious dance of dominance, but long-overdue vengeance is only to be shrouded by smoke. Meanwhile, an effigy of a tree is burning, summoning a whole other host of ancestors and spectres.