This dissertation centers on the conceptual framework and creative structure of Yeh, yu-hsuan’s solo performance piece Metamorphosis《變形記》, offering an in-depth critical analysis. The work began development in June 2022 and was presented as a three-performance graduation production at the Man-fei Theatre, School of Dance, Taipei National University of the Arts, from March 11 to 12, 2023.
Metamorphosis comprises a trilogy of distinct dance works, each differing in style and configuration, collectively probing how an individual situated within the entangled forces of capitalist society and pluralistic value systems, navigates a sense of existential disorientation and nihilism. It then traces a dialectical process of the self through which this individual seeks the possibility of conscious awareness as a pathway toward "liberated transformation" and transcendence.
Chapter One, “To the Soul Adrift: The Transparent Self”, interweaves the artist’s dual perspective as both dancer and choreographer. It reflects a growing self-awareness of an inner void of spirit and thought unveiled during the disciplined process of sculpting movement expression. Drawing from the philosophical frameworks of existentialism and nihilism, the chapter explores the dialectics of freedom, choice, and self-identity. From Chapters Two to Four, a detailed analysis of each of the three works is offered. Daily《日常》examines the shifting of individuals’ lived reality within quotidian routines and the evolving significance of everyday objects. The Whirling《拉瓦玲》continues to explore the dynamic spectrum of physical possibilities in the face of shifting consciousness and change. Finally, Metamorphosis《變形記》investigates the internal and external tensions between the individual and the collective, and how one may rediscover the self and order amid fragmentation and flux. Proceeding to Chapter Five, “metamorphosis” is emphasized as both a process of physical and mental transformation and a philosophy of survival. It considers how individuals confronted with structural pressures, historical disjunctions, and uncertain circumstances, may enact possibilities of free choice and redefine through art creation, embodied practice, and conscious awareness.
Through a reflective journey—from “The Hero’s Journey” as a metaphor for inner transformation to a co-existence with uncertainty represented by “Becoming Matsutake”—the artist reinterprets metamorphosis not merely as an escape from established structures, but as a process of cohabiting and becoming within ambiguity and contradiction. Ultimately, this embodies a form of ethical practice and existential posture in response to the world.