05/17/2026
HUANG YI & KUKA at Ruhrfestspiele Recklinghausen was a success ❤️
Thank you to the audiences of Ruhrfestspiele. It was so meaningful to return home together with KUKA once again, completing performances No. 121–123 together.
This year’s venue was especially unique — a large temporary tent theatre built because the original theatre building is still under renovation. Unexpectedly, it gave us a profound experience of what I can only describe as “German standards.”
When I completed the metronome section of HUANG YI & KUKA, the metronome stopped precisely at the expected moment, just as it always should.
The rehearsal went smoothly. Then I walked out of the tent and stepped onto the grass…
…and suddenly realized:
Wait…
Isn’t this a temporary tent built in the middle of a forest, on natural ground?
How could the floor possibly be perfectly level?!
Beyond its electrical requirements, HUANG YI & KUKA demands an extremely high level of floor stability and precision because of the metronome sequence. In fact, simply performing the full piece allows us to immediately understand the technical condition and stability of a theatre.
Which means:
The stage quality of this “temporary tent theatre in the forest” was equal to that of a permanent theatre.
Out of curiosity, I took out a level meter and measured the stage floor.
Horizontally. Vertically.
Perfectly level.
I continued measuring all the way to the back audience aisles and the side-stage technical areas…
Everything was level.
Even areas where almost nobody walks. Even non-performance zones.
Everything.
Later, during the opening reception, I mentioned this to the festival director and even measured the temporary tent lobby floor in front of him…
It was level too.
This was a temporary structure in the middle of a forest.
As someone who deeply admires German craftsmanship — nearly all of my camera, sound, and lighting equipment comes from Germany, and many of my collaborators are based there — this experience was incredibly moving.
The director told me that the technical team had invested tremendous effort into preparing the ground beneath the tent. He was very happy that we noticed it, and said he hoped I would share this story, believing the technical team would be proud to hear it.
As a creator, while appreciating a performance, I also find myself looking upward — observing lighting trusses, the distribution of fixtures, cable structures, floor details, curtain angles and precision, the layers of sound, and many things beyond the proscenium itself.
Not to search for flaws, but to appreciate how every theatre and every collaborator strives to create the best possible conditions within their limitations.
At Ruhrfestspiele, the backstage dressing rooms were built from caravans. The shower rooms had wooden flooring, with endless hot water even in the outdoor temperatures of around 10°C. Every dressing room had heating, and the entire backstage area was designed almost like a thoughtfully arranged campsite.
The tent theatre in the forest at Ruhrfestspiele taught us something unforgettable.
Recklinghausen is a beautiful city, and during this tour I also began experimenting with new ways of preserving the meaningful landscapes and moments encountered while touring. I hope to share them with everyone in the future.
Thank you, Ruhrfestspiele, for such a beautiful journey.
Thank you to all of our team members.
Grateful for everything.
Performance Team｜HUANG YI STUDIO＋
Artistic Director / Concept / Choreography / Programming｜HUANG Yi
Performers｜HUANG Yi, HU Chien, TAI Yi-Fen, CHEN Zhao-Li
Costume Coordinator｜HU Chien
Costume Reconstruction｜YANG Yu-Teh
Technical Director｜LIN Chia-Liang
Technical Specialist｜CHEN Yun-Wen
Administrative Manager｜WU Min-Fang
Tour Manager｜YEH I-Chun
International Representation｜Sozo Impact Inc.
Arts Support｜Multinational Company Long Dedicated to Community Investment, CANJUNE International Co., Ltd., Hong Foundation
Special Thanks｜Ministry of Culture (Taiwan), National Culture and Arts Foundation (Taiwan)
HUANG YI & KUKA was commissioned by Quanta Arts Foundation and developed at the 3LD Art & Technology Center in New York.
Official International Logistics Partner｜Eurotran
