becoming god
becoming god is a sensory and personal quest for the divine in what was once forbidden territory.
For many years, Melyn Chow was not allowed to enter her father’s family’s Taoist temple in Malaysia. For someone like her, who grew up in a Christian family in Singapore, this place was considered dangerous and unclean. Forbidden territory, in other words. becoming god begins there: with a return to what was once rejected.
Programme section Julidans On Stage/ Julidans NL
Location Frascati
Venue Frascati 4
Run time 60 minutes
Language Language no problem
becoming god
Chow’s uncle is a tang ki, a Chinese medium who offers his body as a conduit for the gods. This practice – letting go of control, allowing something greater to enter – forms the framework of the performance. Four performers allow themselves to be carried away by rituals and trance. Incense fills the space, water drips, tea is shared with the audience. Not as an illustration, but as a direct experience.
-|-With live music by Lưu Thoại Linh and performers Sjaid Foncé and Nazar Rakhmanov, a playful and intense journey unfolds. An invitation to allow the longing for the sacred to return – and perhaps, for a brief moment, to be able to touch something of the divine yourself.
Melyn Chow
Melyn Chow (1994) creates interdisciplinary performances centred on the body. Her work is physical, intimate and provocative, exploring themes such as the female gaze, sensuality, shame and the erotic as a source of power. She combines miming, contemporary dance, performance and video. For Shaking shame, she received the VSCD Mime/Performance Prize 2025 - the jury described the work as ‘a liberating exercise in vulnerability’.
Credits
Concept & direction Melyn Chow
In collaboration with performers Nazar Rakhmanov, Sjaid Foncé and sound designer Lưu Thoại Linh
Advisor & final direction Floor van Leeuwen
Light advisor Martin Kaffarnik
Styling advice Sjaid Foncé
Sandal design Tisha Larin x Softrot
-|-Installation video documentary in collaboration with 邹德盛, 济公
Editor Caleb Ming
With additional sound design Mina Tomic
Campaign image Bianca Pilet
Special thanks to 邹德盛, 济公, Ruth Borg, Jon Silber, Hidde Aans-Verkade, Pleuni Veen, Paulina Prokop, Loes Schakenbos, Erik van de Wijdeven, ImPulsTanz ATLAS 2025 (Guy Cools) and Club Raum
