WEATHERED (World premiere, dedicated to Chloe Chung & Pavle Cajic)

Like the Chinese Taoist saying: “上善若水，水善利万物而不争” (“The highest virtue resembles water. Water benefits all things and contends not with them”), to me, the sea is amiable and lenient. It’s timeless and still, yet constantly flowing and evolving. It touches upon all tough edges, softening them, sustaining them, watching, and waiting… Weathered was inspired by my understanding of water & ocean, and my long-lasting friendship with the flautist Chloe Chung and the pianist, composer Pavle Cajic as we spend a lot of time at Sydney beaches. I hope this piece will take you to an image of a peaceful starry night with visible sea sparkles; sea-breeze traveling through the waves; the slightly worn-out sands and rocks, and two or three good friends lying on the beach, immersed in the scenery and lost in their deep appreciation of the sea. For the video of this work, Jeff’s videography fuses the imagery from our recording date at Kirribilli Neighbourhood Centre, as well as incorporating our own personal videos and water imagery from our own local waterways and beyond, that we hold dear to our hearts.

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-Words by Jolin Jiang


Videography by Jeffrey Cheah, Recording/mastering by Jolin Jiang

Premiered on August 30 for Dreambox Collective concert "Big Blue" in support of marine conservation organisation Tangaroa Blue