Commissioned and Performed by Daniel Shao, May 2021

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Cameras: Lucie Treacher

Sound: Adaq Khan

Thanks to Peter Tompkins at the St Pancras Clock Tower for the space!

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The name of this piece (pífū) in Chinese is skin. Inspiration has come from both the pronunciation and meaning of this word. I wanted to explore how spoken word could be sung and played with flute, when I started composing I had a list of words. Pífū was the most ordinary one, but somehow, I had very strong feeling towards the weight it carries in our society. By exploring the flute's natural acoustic, and the physicality expressed by the performer, I hope this piece brings more awareness to this word, and to tragedies of gendered and racial prejudice.