Premiere: February 27, 2025, Montréal / Nouvelles Musiques 2025: Mystery of Clock, Théâtre Plaza, Montréal (Québec)

What if our lives were nothing more than a network of invisible clocks, synchronized by the echoes of emotions, memories, and human connections?

Every human being carries within them an internal clock, a mysterious mechanism that not only measures the passage of time but also reveals the very essence of their life. This clock doesn’t merely count seconds; it beats to the rhythm of our interactions, our choices, and the mysteries that define us. It reflects the fragility of existence and the depth of human connections.

Our lives are shaped by interactions, by moments when our clocks resonate with those of others. But what happens when these rhythms fall out of sync?
Can we truly understand or be understood if our clocks beat at different cadences?
This search for meaning takes on a new dimension here: can we master time, or are we merely its spectators?

The couple becomes a precious laboratory for exploring these questions.
A couple is not merely a union; it is a continuous dialogue between two temporalities. At times, their clocks beat in harmony, creating an almost celestial unity. At other times, they clash, their tensions exposing the paradoxes of love and the challenges of emotional coexistence. Thus, time is not just what passes; it is what connects us to others. Human clocks no longer measure time—they measure relationships.

The performance Mystery of Clock seeks to bring these ideas to life.

Conceived for two exceptional musicians—Aiyun Huang, percussionist, and Mark Fewer, violinist—the project examines how our clocks respond to one another, to the passage of time, to stress, and to emotions. The two instruments embody distinct yet complementary temporalities, symbolizing the diversity of human experiences.
Each scene is an exploration of a key theme: memory, stress, love, the irreversibility of time… The violin and percussion become mirrors of the human soul: fragile, complex, deeply connected. Through their musical dialogue, they offer an artistic meditation on temporality, love, and what makes us beings in a perpetual quest for synchronization with the world.

Mystery of Clock is funded by the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music’s France-Canada Cultural Exchange grant.

Illy Cheng is supported by the Taiwan National Culture and Arts Foundation.