THE HIDDEN by Kamini Ramachandran

“More to be unearthed“

Reviewer: Jocelyn Chng
Performance: 6 May 2018

The Hidden was created in response to the Singapore International Festival of Arts’ (SIFA) open call for works to be exhibited or performed at a local National Monument. The monument that storyteller and director Kamini Ramachandran chose to work with is the Armenian Church. Built in 1835, it is the oldest surviving church in Singapore.

The piece consists of three distinct segments that take place in different locations within the church compound. Two performers, Daisy Mitchell and Jeremy Leong, serve as “guides” of sorts. They drop snippets of information about the history of the church and the small but influential Armenian community in Singapore, and also shepherd the audience from one location to the next.

In each segment, Ramachandran tells a story that is loosely connected to the location. First, we hear a creation myth in the chapel; next, as we move to the parsonage, we listen to a fairy tale that begins with a bewitched young girl trapped in a cucumber; and finally in the Memorial Garden, against the sombre backdrop of tombstones of eminent figures from the Armenian community, we encounter a dark story about an ill-fated couple, involving murder and the supernatural. The stories are enlivened by Derrick Tay’s sprightly performances on various percussion and wind instruments.

Ramachandran’s storytelling is captivating, and her skill as a storyteller in the oral tradition is evident in the structuring of her stories, her vocal control, and her connection with the audience.

Yet, I am not entirely convinced by this “intimate site-specific storytelling performance”, as the piece is described in the marketing material. Although the stories do somewhat relate to the location, they are not linked to or inspired by the space to an extent that justifies the term “site-specific”. The Armenian Church and its significance is not highlighted, and neither does its location provide an added layer to those particular stories, which could be told anywhere else without losing their meaning.

The overall performance framing is also problematic. Mitchell’s and Leong’s personas appear too separate from Ramachandran’s, leading to awkward transitions between the former’s expositions and the latter’s storytelling sequences.

The Hidden’s appeal lies mainly in the weight of the venue – one simply cannot tread in such a venerable religious monument without feeling some sense of awe and respect. While the work is enjoyable on this level, it can certainly be challenged towards a performance that reflects the link between the content and the chosen space more clearly and meaningfully.