October. 17th, 2025
KW Studios, Atrium Studio
7:00pm
Sidi Chen’s work Tidal Locking is an interdisciplinary research project that bridges planetary science and relational aesthetics through performance. Inspired by the orbital process of tidal locking in which two co-orbiting astronomical bodies, such as the Moon and Earth, gradually synchronize their rotations resulting in a face to face configuration as they spin. In this durational work, Chen metaphorically and physically draws from this planetary inquiry to explore the negotiation of and balance between bodies in space.
Description
In a darkened studio, Tidal Locking began as two performers, facing away from one another, stepped into a loop of rope. As Sidi Chen and collaborator Aryo Khakpour leaned into tension the thin rope dug into the skin of their torso’s as they slowly turned, both on their own vertical axes and horizontally as a tethered unit, around the space. As the pair revolved, their deliberately paced motions brought their bodies into an ongoing rotational dialogue mediated by the thread. In the statement for Tidal Locking, Sidi explains the works methodology:
“Tidal Locking is an interdisciplinary research project that bridges planetary science and relational aesthetics through performance. I take inspiration from the planetary orbital movements in the process of tidal locking where two astronomical bodies pull through the gravitational gradient and change the rotations around each other. Through the process of tidal locking, those two astronomical bodies gradually reach a balance and always face one another with the same side…Through this project, I want to explore and examine how the body can mediate tensions and mobilize the boundaries in human relations. The collaborative nature of the project not only resides on the fact that it needs at least two people to form a star system but also lives through the duality of the negotiation, where one’s movement is both the result and resource of another body’s movement.”
As the work progressed, the rope slid up and down the performers upper bodies, softly biting into the skin around their hips, waists, shoulders and, at times, necks leaving faint imprints. The mounting tension brought on by the tautness of the rope hung in the air around the performers and the audience positioned throughout the space, however, this restriction was continually navigated with care. The piece came to a close when Chen and Khakpour’s multi-axis rotations finally brought them standing face to face. With a few steps towards one another, the rope fell to the floor and the two embraced as the spot lights faded.
Performers
Sidi Chen and Aryo Khakpour