Moth to flame? Is it suffering or love? Is it a cocoon to bind oneself, or is it a cocoon for self-protection?

In Paiwan language, the word Uqaljai means man/male. Born and raised in the Timur tribal community in Pingtung, Baru Madiljin has been researching the awareness and cultural conflict of gender identity in contemporary indigenous communities since the beginning of his career as choreographer and dance artist. The 2-week residency at O Espaço do Tempo is Baru’s first residency in life as well as his first time visiting Portugal.

During his stay in Montemor-o-Novo, Baru immerses himself in an unfamiliar environment, where he is unfamiliar with local spoken language. While attempting to find a connection between the body and the Paiwan nose flute that he is unfamiliar with, he will listen attentively to how the body and sound are connected. The nose flute that he has been researching is a typical Paiwan music instrument since ancient times. In the context of Paiwan traditional music compositions, the sound of the nose flute can be interpreted as male role or female role. Baru extends it as a metaphor for having female and male identities at the same time in one body.

At the end of his residency, Baru strongly feels, here at O Espaco do Tempo, is a safe space and right place for creation to share his research about the complexity of the reality of indigenous LGBTQI+ community in current tribal communities in Taiwan. He invites participants to be his guests visiting his temporary apartment in Magina, where he presents his short film,《Uqaljai • 蛾 • Moth》in the living room, a cozy and intimate space for dialogue and getting a close understanding about contemporary indigenous identity in the Paiwan community.