The notion of "fiction" and "real" is intertwined within the theatre. No matter how verisimilar the play may seem, the audience may not perceive it as real; vice versa, no matter how illusory and surreal a narrative gets to be, one can still exercise their imagination and be fully immersed in the narration. Once stepped into the theatrical space, the audience gets to suspend their disbelief and be ready to participate in a collective "act" of fabrication – for one becomes an active spectator, the "comrade" to "conspire" an impossible reality.

"Make & Believe" harkens to the 2023 theatrical-installation performance "We are for real", nonetheless, unfolding its narration in an exhibition space instead of a theatrical space. As the narrative context shifts, the previous distinction between "fiction" and "real" is eradicated, projecting alienated expectations and assumptions from the participating audience. In this regard, the collective experiment constructed in the theatre destructs into an individual experience with a deeper introspective focus. It liberates the audience's unidirectional visual perspectives from the spectator seats into a scattered, all-around spectacle by allowing them to free roam within the exhibition hall. Are these transformations equipping the audience with an omniscient vision that was absent as a theatre spectator? Leaving the narrative-driven theatrical space, can the audience perceive implicit messages between and outside of the lines of the exhibits?

In "Make & Believe", we invite you to join the conspiracy again - in an exhibition hall where the performers are absent. The audience is left to conceive and perceive by engaging their senses, rediscovering the idiosyncratic performative qualities of scenery, installations, lighting and soundscapes, collaging fragments of existence, non-existence, reality, "the truth" and imagination, in turn constructing their perceptual landscapes. Can the myriad of sensual stimulations, inspire one to rely on intuition to perceive and conceive, travelling inward to search for meaning and answers?

In collaboration with Tung Wing-hong (Mechanical Installation), Ng Tsz-kwan (Mechanical Installation), Ho Sin-tung (Text / Painting / Installation), Human Wu (Scenography), Lam Lai (Music / Soundscape) and Lau Ming-hang (Lighting), these multi-disciplinary artists excelling in different mediums collectively interweave a rhapsody of Gesamtkunstwerk (a total work of art) by echoing with one another while preserving each individual's creative authenticity for the visitors to feast.

During the exhibition period, several curated performances will be presented. A brand-new composition crafted by Lam Lai, brought by three renowned musicians, Nazar Tabachyshyn (accordion), Tiffany Au Kai-see (Bassoon) and Wilson Chau Siu-hin (French Horn), will accompany the soundscape installations to render an illuminating music creation. Creative performers from "We are for real", including KT Yau Ka-hei, Anson Chan Wai-chung, Pearlmi Tam and Tung Chung-can, will also be offering a new collaborative performance on-site. Stay tuned for the shows!

We cordially invite you to be mesmerised by the "staged exhibition", unleashing all your talents and senses to enjoy the meticulously crafted scenography. Come dialogue with the collective creation, challenge yourself and rediscover what are the "real" and "truth" to you.

Please visit our project website: https://arts-tech.hk/ for more details.

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• No latecomers will be admitted.
• Recommended for ages 12 and above.
• Hong Kong Arts Development Council reserves the right to add, withdraw or substitute artists and / or vary advertised programmes. In case of dispute, the decision of HKADC is final.

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