Fukushima casts long shadow

SINCE the Fukushima nuclear disaster struck Japan in 2011, the country has been struggling to get back on its feet. Many notable Japanese artists, from Takashi Murakami to ChimPom, have responded to the tragedy through their works to express the shock and confusion still felt by the populace in the aftermath.

In 2013, Singapore director and playwright Chong Tze Chien travelled to Tokyo to collaborate with a group of Japanese actors to create Seed, a quiet and moving play that deals with the impact of the tragedy on the ordinary Japanese.

Seed is striking in its simplicity. The cast of seven perform their roles with a certain Ozu-esque restraint. The minimalist set comprises many threads that mark the fragile boundaries between life and death, communication and absence, hope and emptiness.