FUSE#1

Element# 1.2
Post-Colonial Tactics
Power of
softness
by Chloe C. Chotrani
In the simplest form—a horizontal line represents an
aversion to the vertical, hierarchical and dictatorial. Where,
we can find ways to achieve making decisions, on an
egalitarian playing field.
Softness as a tactic to confront hybridity, ambiguity, and
nativity of the post-colonial present.
On an individual level, I look at myself, slightly detached.
Bluntly, as a Singaporean, I hold a place of privilege within the
region, and globally. I would not be able to sustain myself in
the arts as I do now, if it weren’t for the wealth that resides in
this island. Being in a highly visible position, I bring awareness
to the unseen. How do I listen to what is not being said?
Within the softness of our bodies exists a cultural memory that
holds power in what society may see as weak. In my personal
and professional embodied research on the power of softness, I
direct my awareness to the forgotten, the silent and untold stories
of women as the central life-giving force of society. It is masked
by the conditioning to be silent, obedient, and shameful.
Here is an image of myself, looking at
our guest mentor Mandeep Raikhy,
looking at me. During one of our
mentorship sessions in the residency,
while we were devising improvisation
scores.
Element mentorship session. Image from Chloe C. Chotrani.
I am actively seeking from an inner land, the ancestral knowledge
that is passed down through the womb. I do this by acting on the
choice to move from the body, listening to what it has to say,
rather than to dictate answers. I constantly ask
questions—Where is softness in the body? If you were to draw
softness—What would it look like?
43 44