Description

Don’t miss our Final Gala as we celebrate the end of the eighth annual Winter Enrichment Program.

WEP Chair Gilles Lubineau will kick off the evening by recognizing the effort of everyone involved in the successful production of this two-week program, supported by our gracious sponsors and volunteers. The winners of the KAUST Research Poster Competition, International Undergraduate Poster and Science Fair will be announced.

Then an exceptional art show with several artists will get you entertained.

Sandborn Balance

With thirteen palm leaf ribs, the Japanese artist Miyoko Shida Rigolo creates an oasis of concentration and serenity, a place of equilibrium; fragile moments of joy that, barely created, are destroyed by the artist herself.
The extraordinary success story of Sandborn Balance began already 20 years ago. In 1996, the Swiss theatre producer Maedir Rigolo created a balancing act for the stage production SANDDORN. The play is set in knee-deep sand; the only props are the withered ribs of date and coconut palm leaves, which Maedir Rigolo collected from the most beautiful beaches in the world.
In February 2013, Maedir Rigolo was presented with the Kamiwaza award in Japan. In Japan, Kamiwaza is the title given to a master with superhuman abilities. The award of Kamiwaza meant that the art of Sandborn Balance had truly arrived in the land of Zen. Concentration, mindfulness and conscious perception in search of absolute reality convene in the fifteen-minute performance.
This honour solidified the decision Maedir Rigolo had made shortly beforehand. For more than fifteen years, he was the only person to perform his fragile piece of art. “Now I will pass on this knowledge. I am very happy that I have found people with whom I can share my experiences and who will develop them further,” One of these selected talents is Japanese dancer and choreographer Miyoko Shida Rigolo, who has been part of the team of Rigolo Swiss nouveau Cirque for a several years already. Miyoko Shida Rigolo’s performs Sandborn Balance with the highest confidence of the creator and further on, she discovered new secrets and gave it a special life. Miyoko Shida Rigolo is invited worldwide to present Sandborn Balance. Videos on her performance reach millions of followers.

Ramayana Epic in Javanese Shadow Puppet

Shadow puppet master from Sonobudoyo Museum, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, along with a soothing musical ornaments played by the Javanese instrument (gamelan) players will perform during WEP Final Gala and Award Ceremony. Ramayana, renowned Hindu epic adopted centuries ago, will be delivered in Javanese language through the use of nicely-decorated puppets.

Ramayana, renowned Hindu epic originated in India centuries ago, has been adopted by Asian people for a story-telling purpose. Its sphere of influence also covers the large part of Southeast Asia, including Indonesia. In the large part of Java, Ramayana epic is commonly performed through the use of nicely-decorated flat, dried-skin puppets (wayang kulit). This ancient art of storytelling has been preserved in Java for centuries, and designated by the UNESCO in 2003 as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

A puppet master, who is also acting as a narrator, plays the flat puppets behind the kelir, a screen made of white fabric. A strong light provided by either electric lamp or oil lamp (blencong) shines the screen from the opposite side. A group of wiyaga (musician) simultaneously plays some pentatonic harmony using gamelan (Javanese instruments) along with a vocal of sinden (singer). This two-way performance makes the audience sitting behind the screen can also see the shadow of puppets that are being played by the master. The story and songs will be delivered in krama madya Javanese (moderately-refined Javanese). Javanese forms a large group of people in Indonesia, and its language is spoken by around 45% of Indonesian.