“Fencer vs. Samurai” was premiered at BIG on Bloor Street Festival’s Bloor Alternative Art Fair(BAAF) on Saturday, July 23, 2011. With my former student, Nils Fischer, we constructed a semi closed cage or a stage on Bloor street. A hot day without a shade, a heat breeze blowing on our faces made us look so tired and sweat to fight … but we fought anyway in the name of paints! Towards the end of the day, suddenly it started pouring rain, and it made many vendors and audiences evacuate from the street and it was the best moment for us to fight! In the middle of the street, it transcended a performance art into a real street sword fight, and we actually continued fighting beyond our choreography. The crowd gradually joined around us and got heated up … at the end I was on top of him and almost terminating the life of this young talented fencer (well, not technically in reality) … the crowd went nuts for it. I inserted my Samurai swords back in Saya (Sccabard), and gave him my hand instead … teacher and student friendship lasts infinitely … I felt confident that art will help end wars on earth one day …
Later, Hip Hop guys who were performing earlier on the other side of the street came to me and said, “Yo, Samurai, man! Yo gotta do what yo gotta do, man! It could end yo life if yo didn’t end his, man!” Perhaps it can be the case, and it is true that I have been betrayed quite a few times over my generousness or tolerance … but I still want to believe that a good intention can be lead to long run mutual understanding … “yo, man! no fights on our streets!!”