GARDEN OF REPOSE

Hong Kong Arts Festival, Freespace

Set Design

Hope is the thing with feathers—Emily Dickinson 

Garden of Repose is inspired by the narrative of the traditional Requiem. Repose refers to the state of resting. But how do we rest? What are we resting from? To some, rest is an ending. To others, a beginning. 

Audiences are not mere spectators but integral participants. They enter a cramped, compressed tunnel. As the music crescendos, the confines of the tunnel expand, revealing a mesmerising play of light and space. Walls of fabric gracefully fall away, unveiling a gentle slope leading into a vast expanse. The set design unfolds like a powerful triptych, guiding you through a trilogy of emotions. From the depths of sorrow and pain to the path of recognition and acceptance, and finally, towards a radiant beacon of hope.

Performer: NOĒMA | Music Director + Conductor: Sanders Lau | Direction + Choreographer: Ivanhoe Lam | Set Installation Designer + Scenographer : Ruby Law @ RULA | Multimedia Designer + Scenographer: Oliver Shing | Lighting Design: Mousey Tse | Image Designer: Kary Kwok | Composer + Music Designer: Chris Cheung | Sound Designer: Candog Ha | Sound System + Spatial Programmer: Alison Fong | Rehearsal Mistress: Lim Wei Wei | Producer: Michael Lee | Production Manager: Vivia Ho | Technical Director: Doris Chen

Photography Credit: Luster Angle, Carmen So & RULA Design Studio