A political bedtime story.

A fable for children and adults alike on preserving democratic rights and freedom of expression amidst the contemporary climate of oppression in North America. Inspired by the increasingly fascist turn in Canada, the allegory draws from traditional myths and symbols whilst interweaving the destruction of freedoms and rights, and the environment by Stephen Harper’s Conservative government with political apathy and perspectives of people into its narrative.

For PROCESS14, the book was read as part of a performance piece entitled HOW TO EXPLAIN POLITICS TO A CERAMIC HARE. Read as a political bedtime story, the performance inverts Joseph Beuys’ seminal performance “How to explain Art to a dead hare”. As a metaphor for voting as lottery, audience members selected a raffle ticket prior to the performance and a winner was randomly drawn at the end of the performance (who was awarded a copy of the book).

Harpy and the Hare epilogue (online only)

CONCEIVED & WRITTEN BY: [textlink] | COMPLETED: 08/15 | AVAILABLE: 08/15

AVAILABLE on Amazon, on Kindle, on iBooks, as a free ePub, or in print at Lulu or Barnes & Noble


640 445 dissonance productions

dissonance productions

Started by trans-discplinary art-ivist Stephen Chen to consolidate his recent work; as well as facilitate collaboration with others. Stephen’s oeuvre is often allegorical as well as simultaneously deconstruct and hybridize the very forms he works in. Disdaining academic and esoteric expressions, as well as institutional conventions and practices, Stephen explores complex ideas and issues immanent in his works through experiments in form and technique.

dissonance productions