Muyang Teng ~ Buoyant Phantom

“Always already a remembrance. Even then, had gone gone.
—Jin Se, Shangyin Li, Translated by myself

Mother is the window, window is the sunlight, sunlight is the door handle, door handle is the footprint, footprint is the gate. My longing is endlessly suspended. My longing moves on to the next object. It orbits the earth.
—The Metonymy of Loss, Kim Hyesoon, Translated by myself

This work writes/translates/performs from inside this chain of substitutions. My longing orbits the Moon-yet-to-come. The Moon orbits the Earth. The Mother is the not-yet.

Afternoon light enters through the window. Each person holds a printed publication, stands or sits wherever they find themselves. I begin seated on one wall. In the intervals between poems, I move slowly—finally behind the holes in the opposite wall. The last part comes from there. The sound in the room is not always clear.”

Muyang Teng's Buoyant Phantom will be presented to a live audience at Centrale Fies (Dro, Italy) on June 21, 2026 as one of 41 acts curated by Elisa Giuliano for the AEROPONIC ACTS 2026: DAWN SEEDS, convened by Gabriëlle Schleijpen for the Dutch Art Institute.

For those unable to attend in person, this page will host future video documentation by Baha Görkem Yalım alongside a written report by Saverio Cantoni. The report will feature summarized reflections from guest respondents Adam Hajyahia, Antonia Majaca, and Zairong Xiang, who will vibe with the question: “Can a room do ventriloquism?”

We look forward to welcoming you in person to Dro!