REVIEW: The Landscape of the Other Shore – A Fragmented Yet Piercing Reflection on Human Cruelty

©️Photo by Zheng Jia

Rooted in the haunting legacy of the 1816 Medusa shipwreck, where 147 were cast adrift and only 15 survived through murder and cannibalism, The Landscape of the Other Shore reimagines the raft not as a relic of history but as a recurring stage for human cruelty. Directed by Yaguang Hu and developed by a creative team known for its bold, research-driven approach, the production draws from a mosaic of real-life cases, including the dehumanisation of a Tokyo woman found dead in a stairwell, the story of Mary Bell, an 11-year-old girl who committed murder after surviving severe abuse, and the exploitation of a chimpanzee dressed and displayed for entertainment.

The result is a series of stark emotional portraits that do not aim to shock gratuitously, but to observe and reframe violence through a lens of collective complicity. Through this fragmented yet deliberate structure, the show invites us to ask: who is on the raft now?

This production is backed by a large team, clearly reflecting the care and dedication they’ve put into it. What makes the performance stand out is its commitment to aesthetic precision. A sharply composed visual design, led by visual designers Noah Yong, Yiyan Zhang and Suxuan Chen, anchors the production. Geometric projection patterns sculpt the stage space, suggesting a ship, a boundary, or a fracture. These visuals interact well with lights, shifting the atmosphere with subtlety and purpose. In moments of stillness, the balance of light and shadow holds quiet emotional weight.

Equally striking are the costumes and styling, which feature fluid, gender-neutral outfits that accentuate movement and transformation. With a strong sense of plasticity and flow, the designs allow the performers to transition seamlessly between identities and emotional states without visual clutter. A particularly effective motif involves the use of picture frames to evoke themes of manipulation and display. This creates the unsettling impression that the performers are not only acting, but also being acted upon.

Shaped by movement director Ying Wang, the choreography is clean, restrained, and composed with a clear sense of spatial intention. Every scene carries a quiet elegance, with dynamic staging that avoids slipping into stylisation. The soundscape, with its contemporary, cinematic feel and pop-like rhythms, also complements the production very well—though a more abrasive, dissonant sonic palette might have heightened the underlying psychological tension even further.

The performance communicates effectively across language barriers. While the piece is entirely in Mandarin, English surtitles and clear projection cues ensure that international audiences are never left behind. Special credit should go to UK-based producers Ricky Rongqi Cui and Zoe Yingying Xie. Performing in a different cultural and linguistic context is never easy, and the clarity of storytelling achieved here speaks to the team’s thoughtful bridging of worlds.

This 45 minutes The Landscape of the Other Shore doesn’t seek to offer answers. Instead, it opens a space for reflection, on cruelty, silence, and the fragility of moral boundaries. What emerges is not a clean narrative but a kind of emotional sediment, asking us to look inward as much as outward.

★★★★

This show is currently performing at C aurora until the 3rd of August. For more information, please visit: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/the-landscape-of-the-other-shore

©️Photo by Zheng Jia

Creative Team

Artistic Director: Cheng Sui
Director: Yaguang Hu
Dramaturg: Qian Yang
Music Director: Yang Yang
Set & Lighting Designers: Yang Zhang, Bin Gao, Jiayi Zhan
Visual Designers: Noah Yong, Yiyan Zhang, Suxuan Chen
Acting Coaches: Chunli Zhang, Hongwei Liu
Movement Director: Ying Wang
Assistant Music Director: Qianyue Xu
Photographers: Qianyue Xu, Sitian Wu, Zhenglong Yang, Zhen Jia

Cast

Guo Yiying, Zhang Yuxuan, Deng Jin, Jin Zhilin, Zeng Xintong, Zhang Jiating, Peng Zijun

Production Team

Executive Producers: Huilong Tu, Baoshui Wu, Xiangqun Li
Supervising Producers: Chaojie Wang, Shuixian Han, Yong Liu
Producers: Jianbin Zhang, Lu Zhao, Qinyang He, Xiang Li
Production Supervisors: Hui Liu, Xi Wu
Lead Producer: Yang Zhang
Producer (UK): Ricky Rongqi Cui
Technical Directors: Yang Zhang, Bin Gao
Marketing Manager: Zoe Yingying Xie
Stage Manager: Bin Gao