ZAC, the Karang Guni Man - C LAB

"All but forgotten"

A karang guni man, collects unwanted possibilities, tells discarded tales and redefines himself.

When I first read Kuo Pao Kun’s Spirits Play, it struck me as a series of stories. Similarly, in his other plays (e.g. Coffin, Eunuch, Day I Met the Prince, Lao Jiu), the storytelling element is very strong. To me, stories are the tapestry of life, as Neil Gaiman so aptly said. And what I see in Spirits Play are people trying to find their way back or their way out, but the only link to their existence are their stories.

I choose the karang guni because I see him as a sort of spirit of modern times in Singapore. With recycling becoming more systematic, even the disposal of waste is more practical. And to some extent, people don’t bother to evaluate what they throw away nowadays. Which is what the karang guni used to do, he’ll give you a fair deal for what you want to throw away. He is also a lovely image from my past.

"everyone is born a god,
but somewhere along
the way
becomes a false idol."

Too much to be said for one small piece, so many echoes of Kuo Pao Kun’s other works come into mind. Singapore stories need to be told, they need to be heard. But how does one tell them? Through exploring the elements of street theatre? Noisy, fun and communicates. Possibilities we discard. Possibilities we retrace. So what exactly are we?

In the spirit of storytelling, for the spirits in stories.


Zachary Goh, Singapore
The Karang Guni Man in CREATIVE LAB free showings,
August 20-23, 8pm, 22-23 - 3pm
NAFA Studio Theatre
151 Bencoolen Street