Metralla Rosa con Carla Tofano
Watch Interview | Listen to Podcast
This interview was recorded on the 19th of April 2022 and released on the 1st of March 2024
In Episode 51 of Metralla Rosa, Carla is in London, talking to Mai Nguyen Tri, a Franco-Vietnmese experimental Butoh dancer.
As a self labelled Zen Punk artist, Mai exploits her natural affiliation to water in order to give her gestural expressions a fluidity of movement that flow directly from her unconscious mind – a source deep enough to have provided her with twenty years worth of inspiration for her improvised performances. Butoh originated from 1950s post-war Japanese culture and, although Mai draws on the anti-stylised fluidity and slow, controlled movement of this relatively contemporary school of dance, she also honours the very specific social context of its birth by injecting her own experimental fantasy into her performances.
Mai left Brittany over thirty years ago, drawn to London by her fascination for English poetry, literature and culture, with Hackney Wick immediately becoming the base for her creative nest. It was in this eclectic and unorthodox side of urban London, her adopted city, that her soul finally found its home, where, from the moment she decided to put down roots, the contrasting sides of her expressive identity and artistic personality began to flourish.
The source of Mai’s inspiration fluctuates between the rebelliousness of London’s punk ethos and the minimalism of her zen heritage, and, with her background in literature and a keen interest in mental health, she has created her own, unique language that precedes her and defines her. She is curious and visionary and, as such, has collaborated with artists from various disciplines, including the reggae musician Clapper Priest, the multidisciplinary Xuân Sinden, the Afro-Irish poet Grassy Noel Macken and the ambient-noise bands Ampersand and Fear of Fluffing. However, and above all else, one of her greatest achievements, has been managing to remain uncompromisingly truthful and uncomfortably relevant in a city filled with commercial art, trendy newcomers and an insanely competitive cultural scene.
And now, enjoy the interview!
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Related Links
Mai Nguyen Tri: Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | LinkedIn
War Is Illegal Clothing: Instagram | Facebook
Clapper Priest: Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Soundcloud
Léonie Sinden: Website | Instagram
Xuân Sinden: Website | Instagram | Facebook | Soundcloud
Rebecca George (OffCutt): Website | Instagram
Music videos featuring Mai
Round by Mellah | Where There Is Sorrow There Is Holy Ground by Kyōgen | Foreword by Conveyor | The City Shake by Calling Blue Jay | Olives In The Rain by Collin Clay Chace and the Juha Music Crew | Suicide Drive by Adian Coker | Solution by Kalbata ft. Clapper Priest
References during the interview
Butoh 00:56 | Zen 00:58 | Punk 00:59 | Brittany 01:14 | Planetary Conjunctions 01:41 | New Wave 03:54 | Tatsumi Hijikata 06:46 | Ballet 07:16 | The River Thames 09:36 | Brighton 09:56 | Water in the Human Body 14:49 | Cultural Appropriation 16:03 | Japanese Dance Culture 17:01 | Noh 17:03 | Geisha 17:09 | Kabuki 17:12 | Xuân Sinden 25:31 | Léonie Sinden 25:37 | Conceptual Art 25:58 | Rebecca George 28:08 | Improvisation 31:26 | Atheism 38:01 | Buddhism 39:15 | Ying and Yang 39:54 | The Vietnam War 43:39 | Refugees 43:43 | Eastern Margins 44:22 | Yellow Peril 44:35 | Vietnamese Boat People 45:05 | War Is Illegal Clothing 45:42 | Screen Printing 45:45 | Saatchi Gallery 48:17 | Conrad Armstrong 49:09 | Hackney Wick 49:55 | Avant-Garde 50:43 | Fear of Fluffing 56:23 | Gentrification 57:03 | Ampersand 59:02 | La Fura dels Baus 01:00:15 | Sufi Music 01:02:23 | Sufism 01:02:27 | Whirling Dervishes (Mevlevi Order) 01:02:37 | Tarot 01:03:07 | Wheel of Fortune 01:03:08 | Grow Hackney 01:03:42 | Mental Health 01:05:09 | Mental Health during Covid-19 01:05:15 | Personality Disorder 01:05:21 | Psychosis 01:05:51 | Autism 01:07:38 | Neurodiversity 01:07:59 | Meditation 01:12:53 | Brick Lane 01:14:09 | Reggae 01:15:42 | MC (Master of ceremonies) 01:15:43 | Rastafarianism 01:16:07 | Clapper Priest 01:16:26 | Water and Dreams: An Essay on the Imagination of Matter 01:19:34 | Gaston Bachelard 01:19:36
Portrait of Mai (above) by Rod Wey
All images and videos used during the interview by kind permission of Mai.
Guarda l’Intervista | Ascolta il Podcast
Questa intervista è stata registrata il 19 aprile 2022 e rilasciata il 01 marzo 2024
In questo episodio di Metralla Rosa, Carla intervista da Londra Mai Nguyen Tri, danzatrice franco-vietnamita dell’avanguardia Butoh.
Mai si autodefinisce una creativa Punk Zen, sperimentando attraverso la sua proposta artistica la sua spontanea affinità con l’acqua. Un’affinità che conferisce ai suoi gesti una fluidità di movimento derivante dalla sua mente inconsapevole, simile a una sorgente di preziose ispirazioni. Grazie alla vitale profondità di questa fonte, la sua carriera ha goduto di vent’anni di genialità nel campo delle performance improvvisate. La danza in stile Butoh nasce in Giappone alla fine degli anni ’50 come corrente scaturita dalla cultura nipponica del dopoguerra e, sebbene Mai prenda spunto dalla sua naturale tendenza alla fluidità anti-stilizzata, con i movimenti lenti e controllati propri di questa scuola di danza relativamente contemporanea, allo stesso tempo rispetta il peculiare contesto sociale in cui è nata, infondendo fantasia e sperimentazione a questa tendenza artistica giapponese.
Mai ha lasciato la Bretagna da più di trent’anni, attratta da Londra e la sua movida, e affascinata dalla poesia, la letteratura e la cultura inglesi. Appena arrivata, Hackney Wick è diventato la sua base operativa e il suo nido creativo. E’ stato in questo quartiere eclettico e poco convenzionale di Londra, sua città di adozione, che la danzatrice ha finalmente potuto trovare una casa e un laboratorio creativo. I contrastanti aspetti della sua identità espressiva e della sua personalità artistica hanno continuato a fiorire sin dal momento in cui Mai ha deciso di stabilirsi in questa parte del mondo per realizzarsi.
La sua ispirazione oscilla tra la ribellione dello spirito punk londinese e il minimalismo della sua tradizione Zen, permettendole di creare un linguaggio unico che oggi la precede e la definisce attraverso la sua esperienza e l’amore per la letteratura uniti alla sua grande cura per la propria salute mentale. Curiosa e visionaria, Mai è stata capace di stabilire collaborazioni artistiche in vari campi, come quella con il musicista reggae Clapper Priest, con l’artista multidisciplinare Xuân Sinden, con il poeta afro-irlandese Grassy Noel Macken e infine con le band Ampersand e Fear of Fluffing. Tuttavia, in primo luogo, probabilmente uno dei suoi maggiori successi è stato quello di riuscire a rimanere fedele ai suoi principi senza compromessi e a risultare scomodamente influente in una città condizionata dalla dura realtà del mercato mainstream, costellato di celebrità che appaiono e scompaiono come comete, a seconda delle mode, su una scena culturale schiacciante e competitiva.
E adesso, godetevi l’intervista!
Se desideri fare una donazione a Metralla Rosa, utilizza questo link di PayPal. La tua generosità verrà usata principalmente per la creazione di sottotitoli in inglese, spagnolo e italiano e ci aiuterà a continuare la produzione di contenuto gratuito. Grazie mille.
Link correlati
Mai Nguyen Tri: Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | LinkedIn
War Is Illegal Clothing: Instagram | Facebook
Clapper Priest: Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Soundcloud
Léonie Sinden: Website | Instagram
Xuân Sinden: Website | Instagram | Facebook | Soundcloud
Rebecca George (OffCutt): Website | Instagram
Video musicali con Mai
Round by Mellah | Where There Is Sorrow There Is Holy Ground by Kyōgen | Foreword by Conveyor | The City Shake by Calling Blue Jay | Olives In The Rain by Collin Clay Chace and the Juha Music Crew | Suicide Drive by Adian Coker | Solution by Kalbata ft. Clapper Priest
Riferimenti durante l’intervista
Butoh 00:56 | Zen 00:58 | Punk 00:59 | Brittany 01:14 | Planetary Conjunctions 01:41 | New Wave 03:54 | Tatsumi Hijikata 06:46 | Ballet 07:16 | The River Thames 09:36 | Brighton 09:56 | Water in the Human Body 14:49 | Cultural Appropriation 16:03 | Japanese Dance Culture 17:01 | Noh 17:03 | Geisha 17:09 | Kabuki 17:12 | Xuân Sinden 25:31 | Léonie Sinden 25:37 | Conceptual Art 25:58 | Rebecca George 28:08 | Improvisation 31:26 | Atheism 38:01 | Buddhism 39:15 | Ying and Yang 39:54 | The Vietnam War 43:39 | Refugees 43:43 | Eastern Margins 44:22 | Yellow Peril 44:35 | Vietnamese Boat People 45:05 | War Is Illegal Clothing 45:42 | Screen Printing 45:45 | Saatchi Gallery 48:17 | Conrad Armstrong 49:09 | Hackney Wick 49:55 | Avant-Garde 50:43 | Fear of Fluffing 56:23 | Gentrification 57:03 | Ampersand 59:02 | La Fura dels Baus 01:00:15 | Sufi Music 01:02:23 | Sufism 01:02:27 | Whirling Dervishes (Mevlevi Order) 01:02:37 | Tarot 01:03:07 | Wheel of Fortune 01:03:08 | Grow Hackney 01:03:42 | Mental Health 01:05:09 | Mental Health during Covid-19 01:05:15 | Personality Disorder 01:05:21 | Psychosis 01:05:51 | Autism 01:07:38 | Neurodiversity 01:07:59 | Meditation 01:12:53 | Brick Lane 01:14:09 | Reggae 01:15:42 | MC (Master of ceremonies) 01:15:43 | Rastafarianism 01:16:07 | Clapper Priest 01:16:26 | Water and Dreams: An Essay on the Imagination of Matter 01:19:34 | Gaston Bachelard 01:19:36
Ritrato di Mai (sopra) di Rod Wey
All images and videos used during the interview by kind permission of Mai.
Ve la Entrevista | Escucha el Podcast
Esta entrevista se grabó el 19 de abril del 2022 y se publicó el 01 de marzo 2024
En este episodio de Metralla Rosa, Carla conversa desde Londres con Mai Nguyen Tri, la artista franco-vietnamita de Butoh experimental.
Mai se auto define como una creadora Punk Zen, y explora con su propuesta artística, su espontánea afiliación con el agua. Afiliación que otorga a sus expresiones gestuales una fluidez de movimiento que deriva de su mente inconsciente, una fuente de hallazgos y tesoros lo suficientemente frondosa y profunda como para haberle proporcionado veinte años de inspiración a su carrera como artista performática. La danza en clave Butoh es originaria del Japón de finales de los años cincuenta, y se trata de una escuela del movimiento que responde a la cultura nipona de la postguerra, y aunque Mai bebe de su tendencia a la fluidez anti estilizada, y a los movimientos lentos y controlados de esta escuela de danza relativamente contemporánea, al mismo tiempo honra su muy especifica situación socio contextual inyectándole fantasía y experimentación al Butoh japonés.
Mai dejó la Bretaña hace mas de treinta años, atraída por Londres y movida por su fascinación por la poesía, la literatura y la cultura inglesa. Inmediatamente Hackney Wick se convirtió en su base de operaciones y su nido creativo. Fue en este barrio ecléctico y poco ortodoxo del Londres urbano, su ciudad de adopción, que Mai finalmente encontró un hogar y un laboratorio creativo. Los aspectos contratantes de su identidad expresiva y de su personalidad artística han seguido germinando desde el momento que Mai decidió plantarse en este lado del mundo para florecer.
Su inspiración fluctúa entre la rebeldía del espíritu punk de Londres y el minimalismo de su herencia Zen y, con su experiencia y amor por la literatura y un gran interés en su propia salud mental, ha creado un lenguaje único que hoy por hoy la precede y la define. Curiosa y visionaria, Mai ha logrando colaboraciones con artistas de variadas disciplinas, como el músico reggae Clapper Priest, con el artista multidisciplinario Xuân Sinden, el poeta afro irlandez, Grassy Noel Macken y las bandas de ambient-noise, Ampersand y Fear of Fluffing. Sin embargo, por encima de todo, probablemente uno de sus mayores logros haya sido permanecer intransigentemente veraz e incómodamente relevante, en una ciudad condicionada por la dura realidad del mercado mainstream, celebridades cometa que aparecen y desaparecen con las modas, y una escena cultural avasalladora y competitiva.
¡Y ahora, disfruten la entrevista!
Si deseas hacer una donación a Metralla Rosa, utiliza este enlace de PayPal. Tu generosidad nos ayudará a continuar produciendo contenido gratuito y lo recaudado se utilizará principalmente para la creación de subtítulos en inglés, español e italiano. Muchas gracias.
Enlaces relacionados
Mai Nguyen Tri: Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | LinkedIn
War Is Illegal Clothing: Instagram | Facebook
Clapper Priest: Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Soundcloud
Léonie Sinden: Website | Instagram
Xuân Sinden: Website | Instagram | Facebook | Soundcloud
Rebecca George (OffCutt): Website | Instagram
Vídeos musicales en los que aparece Mai
Round by Mellah | Where There Is Sorrow There Is Holy Ground by Kyōgen | Foreword by Conveyor | The City Shake by Calling Blue Jay | Olives In The Rain by Collin Clay Chace and the Juha Music Crew | Suicide Drive by Adian Coker | Solution by Kalbata ft. Clapper Priest
Menciones durante la entrevista
Butoh 00:56 | Zen 00:58 | Punk 00:59 | Brittany 01:14 | Planetary Conjunctions 01:41 | New Wave 03:54 | Tatsumi Hijikata 06:46 | Ballet 07:16 | The River Thames 09:36 | Brighton 09:56 | Water in the Human Body 14:49 | Cultural Appropriation 16:03 | Japanese Dance Culture 17:01 | Noh 17:03 | Geisha 17:09 | Kabuki 17:12 | Xuân Sinden 25:31 | Léonie Sinden 25:37 | Conceptual Art 25:58 | Rebecca George 28:08 | Improvisation 31:26 | Atheism 38:01 | Buddhism 39:15 | Ying and Yang 39:54 | The Vietnam War 43:39 | Refugees 43:43 | Eastern Margins 44:22 | Yellow Peril 44:35 | Vietnamese Boat People 45:05 | War Is Illegal Clothing 45:42 | Screen Printing 45:45 | Saatchi Gallery 48:17 | Conrad Armstrong 49:09 | Hackney Wick 49:55 | Avant-Garde 50:43 | Fear of Fluffing 56:23 | Gentrification 57:03 | Ampersand 59:02 | La Fura dels Baus 01:00:15 | Sufi Music 01:02:23 | Sufism 01:02:27 | Whirling Dervishes (Mevlevi Order) 01:02:37 | Tarot 01:03:07 | Wheel of Fortune 01:03:08 | Grow Hackney 01:03:42 | Mental Health 01:05:09 | Mental Health during Covid-19 01:05:15 | Personality Disorder 01:05:21 | Psychosis 01:05:51 | Autism 01:07:38 | Neurodiversity 01:07:59 | Meditation 01:12:53 | Brick Lane 01:14:09 | Reggae 01:15:42 | MC (Master of ceremonies) 01:15:43 | Rastafarianism 01:16:07 | Clapper Priest 01:16:26 | Water and Dreams: An Essay on the Imagination of Matter 01:19:34 | Gaston Bachelard 01:19:36
Retrato de Mai (arriba) por Rod Wey
All images and videos used during the interview by kind permission of Mai.