Italian new media artistic studio fuse* brings its immersive dance performance Sál to East Kowloon Cultural Centre (EKCC) on December 4 and 5, taking audiences into a digital universe inspired by the science of black holes.
Two dancers move through shifting projections of light and particles, with their movements shaping the visuals in real time. Accompanied by acoustic and electronic music, the performance explores how we navigate change and uncertainty throughout life.
Following its world premiere in April 2025, Sál arrives in Hong Kong with a story about life’s changing nature, the uncertainty of the unknown and the connections that help us through difficult moments.
Italian Artistic Studio fuse* Brings Science Into Art
Founded in 2007, fuse* works across digital art, light, sound, sculpture, video and performance. The Italian artistic studio builds works around a question or phenomenon, then collaborates with specialists to explore it.
Its installations and performances have appeared at events including MUTEK in Montréal, Sónar in Istanbul and TodaysArt in The Hague.
For Sál, the team looked towards black holes, where gravity changes how light travels and challenges our understanding of time.
Over two years, fuse* worked with Professors Daniel R. Mayerson and Fabio Bacchini of KU Leuven University in Belgium and Bart Ripperda of the University of Toronto in Canada.
The researchers’ computer simulations examine the behaviour of light and matter around black holes. fuse* draws on that work to create imagery for the stage, transforming complex scientific phenomena into immersive visuals that interact with the dancers’ movements.
What Happens on Stage in Sál?
Sál unfolds in five chapters, moving from the uneasy space between waking and sleeping towards an encounter with the unknown. The scenes draw on ideas of earth, water, fire, air and space changing from one state into another.
On stage, two performers move together and apart, sometimes guiding and sometimes relying on each other. Motion sensors allow their actions to influence the projected visuals in real time.
Patterns of light, particles and shadow change around the dancers, while black-hole simulations provide a starting point for the images.
The choreography by Diego Tortelli is accompanied by music that moves between acoustic and electronic sounds. Together, the dancers and digital visuals create a constantly changing environment that reflects the emotions explored in the performance.
As the story unfolds, the atmosphere shifts from uncertainty and struggle towards stillness and acceptance.
The Final Chapter of a Decade-Long Trilogy
Sál, meaning “soul”, brings fuse*’s Full Circle Trilogy to an end after more than a decade. The first work, Ljós (“light”), premiered in 2014 and explored birth.
Dökk (“darkness”) followed in 2017, looking at the connections between people and the world around them.
The final work turns towards life’s limits and the difficult process of letting go. Its relationship between two dancers takes inspiration from the experience of accompanying someone through their final moments.
As their roles shift, Sál asks what it means to care for another person when neither knows what comes next.
Event Details
Presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, Sál is part of Unbox EKCC 2026 and a contribution programme of the 6th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival. A meet-the-artist session will follow each performance.
📆 Date & Time: December 4–5, 2026, at 8pm
⏱️ Duration: Approximately 60 minutes without an interval
📍 Venue: The Hall, East Kowloon Cultural Centre
🎟️ Tickets: HK$150#, HK$250#, HK$350 and HK$450. Concessionary prices and other booking discounts available. Book tickets through URBTIX
👥 Age Guidance: Recommended for ages 6 and above. The performance includes strobe and strong lighting effects
#Some seats have restricted sightlines.
The Unbox EKCC 2026 series features three experimental performances and creative projects running from November to December. East Kowloon Cultural Centre keeps bringing transformative and captivating experience to audiences since its full opening last year.
Alongside Sál, the line-up includes an immersive electronic concert IMMERSION by French artist Verlatour, and a research and development project Don’t stop, catch up, walk on by local artist GayBird.
Image credits: fuse*