Episode 64 – Kinetic Impossibilities (Everything Has Disappeared)

Gabrielle Martin: Hello and welcome to Push Play, a Push Festival podcast featuring conversations with artists who are pushing boundaries and playing with form. I’m Gabrielle Martin, Push’s artistic director, and today’s episode highlights socially engaged practice, capoeira, and magic. I’m speaking with Hazel Venzon, co-director and performer of Everything Has Disappeared, which is being presented at the Push Festival January 29th to February 1st, 2026.

A theatrical sleight of hand blending digital technology, illusion, and clever storytelling, Everything Has Disappeared reveals how Filipino labor quietly sustains the global economy. From ships to care homes to factory floors, the work transforms invisibility into revelation with humor, wit, and wonder.

Both playful and profound, it’s a conjuring act about what vanishes when we stop seeing. Mammalian Diving Reflex is a Germany and Canada-based performance company dedicated to investigating the social sphere, always on the lookout for contradictions to whip into aesthetically scintillating experiences, and Push has had the pleasure of presenting their works Haircuts by Children in 2008, The Children’s Choice Awards in 2009, and Eat the Street in 2012.

Hazel Venzon is a Filipino-Canadian theater artist, director, producer, and performer with over two decades of experience creating immersive intercultural works shaped by relational art and community engagement. As co-founder and artistic producing director of You and I Together, UNIT Productions, she develops live experiences that illuminate the Filipino story while challenging convention and deepening connection.

Here’s my conversation with Hazel.

So after the Lapu-Lapu tragedy, and just to say, like, this is something that has really marked us here locally, and I imagine much beyond locally, but it, you know… Our hearts are still broken over this. And I remember when it, this rupture first happened, you know, s- very shortly after, uh, we s- we spoke, and I remember you shared that this show was more relevant than ever.

Can you explain how Everything Is Disappeared is a practice of kapwa or cultural kinship, or anything else you wanna share about, about that? Mm-hmm. 

Hazel Venzon: Mm-hmm. Yeah, the point, um, of Everything Is Disappeared is, like, not to just name all the places, the roles that Filipinos fill, but the point is to actually physicalize and embody ways in which Filipinos create a special impact in the world.

Like, I, you know, um, I think I mentioned earlier that there’s this, you know, there’s this instant activated, um, requirement from the audience into something collective, right? And so there’s like… The information is one thing, but then, you know, I, I lead the audience through a kind of training, and it’s to adopt the ability to connect with others, right?

Approach a life, approach life Like a Filipino after the dis- the conceit of disappearance. And, um, and so yeah, so that when we’re gone, under the conceit of the show, the audience will effectively know how to keep the world functioning. And, and so the way in which that is only possible in the conceit of the show is by, um, understanding how we impact the world and, and through what ways, right?

Like, um, you know, i- in that way is by being Filipino. So I kind of teach people how to be Filipino on the show. And so it’s like, it’s, it’s very silly, it’s very playful. Um, but then, you know, the ways in which I do that is by, um, you know, explaining how Filipinos are biologically kind of equipped with this worldview, the system kapwa, right?

And that, that, that meaning shared self. And it’s, it’s not… It’s becoming a really common term, right? You know, surfacing more and more for, for folks like me. I f- I find it really useful to use as a means of, of connecting to, um, uh, a, a place that, you know, like to, to the Philippines and, and to my identity on a really, really deep level, right?

So in, in reflection to, of the Lapu-Lapu tragedy, y- um, yeah, and how it devastated so many lives on this day of celebration, I mean, it was tragic for, for me in Winnipeg and, um, simply because of the, the, the, the pain and confusion and the shock and, and everything else that, that surrounded that incident, and it continues to do to this day.

But the, the instant, um, kind of desire for mobilization or healing or mourning, um, it was, it, it was as if like we all needed to rise. It felt like a diasporic community-held tragedy, you know? Like I, I, I, I knew that from our p- like our piece could help explain the, the potential, like the, the why we all wanna heal together and the, the um, this really kind of unspoken, untalked about, like this kind of quiet, um, process, uh, that, that helps us rise above really deep, deep and, and tragic things like, like the Lapu-Lapu tragedy.

So, um, you know, kapwa helps us and can help us kind of understand this desire or impulse to have these shared feelings. Taking Lapu-Lapu as a, Lapu-Lapu Day tragedy as a, as an example of this desire to, to, to share these feelings of mourning and loss and shock, um, if that makes hel- if that makes sense.

Mm-hmm. 

Gabrielle Martin: Mm-hmm. Um, 

Hazel Venzon: you know, it’s, it’s not, the show is not necessarily going to, um, magically take that day away, but it- it’s going to certainly, I think, help not only Filipinos, like fellow Filipinos like myself, um, but to understand how we do and why we do. But I think it’ll help understand, like 

Outro : us- Mm-hmm … on a global level 

Hazel Venzon: of this interkicking- in- interconnectedness that we feel amongst one another, but als- but, but that otherness is global.

It’s, it’s how we apply ourselves to the world, how we care for the people around us, um- Yeah. 

Gabrielle Martin: Yeah. Yeah. And there’s a visibilization that is a form of celebration as well. Mm. And I think, you know, there’s, there’s such, um, a great Filipino community here in Vancouver that I, I mean, I think most of us have Filipino people in our lives that are so close and so interconnected in our lives.

Like, um, I mean, that’s what, what this piece is about, but I mean, we are interconnected with many Filipino people, often in an indirect or like a once removed way in terms of, um, well, I mean that it’s just existing in terms of like the kind of forces behind that make our economy go around. Um, but also in personal ways, um, you know, here in Vancouver.

So I think it’s also for Filipino people, I can only imagine, but also for the rest of us just to have a moment of, of kind of also celebrating, um, Filipino culture and presence and people in our lives as like one, um, aspect of this experience that feels joyful. Yeah. 

Hazel Venzon: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. 

Gabrielle Martin: Um, so your practice is deeply informed by relational aesthetics and intercultural exchange.

How did those values shape and present in this creation process and in your collaboration with Mammalian Diving Reflex? Knowing that you’ve spoken to some extent to that, but if there’s anything you wanna add. 

Hazel Venzon: Yeah, yeah. The, um, you know, the relational art kind of, um, definition is, is, you know, at its core it’s, it’s socializing, right?

It’s like hanging out, it’s exploring relationship through performance, um, based events. You know, everyone takes a part, active, you know, active involvement. Um, it’s as if, you know, a show is like a party because everyone at the party kind of is engaged. Um, and, um, you know, the, the, the… These events can be pretty spectacular or they can be pretty plain.

Um, and I guess, um, what keeps me going is the experimentation of this intercultural exchange between people kind of who are at the party, essentially, who don’t normally make sense together. Um, I love this, um, image of these two positives of a magnet, you know, right? So forever entertaining if you try to like push them together, they’ll just do this incredible, like kind of unpredictable thing, and they won’t necessarily connect.

Um, and there’s like a, like an impossibility, a kinetic impossibility that I know is never gonna make a perfect link if you try to really push them together, and there’s something in this that, that I like using as like, um, as a, as a visual for my work. Um, and, um- Because, you know, knowing that it’s never really gonna connect, there’s this kind of entertaining, stimulating thing that makes me constantly try.

Um, and I guess it’s It, it, that, you know, through my… That, that activity, this kind of like kinetic impossibilities, it, it, it’s, um, it’s a- a- fully informed by, like, who I am, right? It’s, um, it’s a reflection of how I’ve lived. I’m, you know, a settler, a c- woman of color. Like, I grew up in spaces that weren’t tailored for me.

They still don’t, aren’t tailored for me, right? I grew up normalizing this, this kinetic impossibility actually, right? And, um, and, a- and, and to, to, to make others feel much more safe so that they understood that I was, like, okay. Um, and so, um, it’s this… It, yeah, I think I’m just kind of repeating myself, but that, that intercultural exchange is, is what, um, uh, is, is what continues to, to make th- my process, my interests, my practice kind of going, ’cause it, it still needs to be figured out.

Like, um, there’s still so much that, that has to change in order for us to actually make a connection, to actually fit. Um, and I’ve collaborated with Darren for, you know, for, for a long time. I, I actually toured and directed, um, works, a number of Mammalian works around the world, um, throughout the country, and, um, and we share those similar socially engaged performance practices in that, like, we collaborate to create these connections between people who don’t normally make sense together.

Um, and, um, uh, yeah, the… My, my main focus, though, has been through the Filipino diasporic experience, again, ’cause I am interested in learning about who I am, where, where I come from, and, and by virtue of working and engaging and learning from those that have just arrived, if, yeah. You know, I, I haven’t fully…

I can’t fully articulate how much that informs me, but I feel so much more, um, I guess, yeah, um, connected to an identity that, um, I know comes from, uh, you know, from a, a, a, like, an under, hyper underprivileged place. Um, so, um, yeah, like, you know, we both have these desires to, to meet strangers and engage with communities, and so I think that helps us really…

It helped our creation process together for sure, because then suddenly both our mutual interests had a, had a reason to collide, like, effectively. You know, I was no longer just, you know, just Supporting Mammalian, I was, you know, absolutely ig- as I had done in, in past. Like, um, yeah, we were, we were working together, um, as, as collaborators, and it was, it was incredibly satisfying.

Um, uh, yeah. And, and also, I think we, we brought the right amount of challenge for, for one another, you know, artistically. Um, so it made our process robust. Um, and, and certainly, yeah, cer- certainly, you know, like, yeah, what we came out with this show, what, what, what the show is today is, is really like a, a harmony of, of both of our, of our interests.

Um, uh, I think we’re, we’re, we’re really, really proud of the show. Um, and ’cause it’s something that no- neither of us have ever done before. Like, like, no one’s ever touched magic or included magic or VR, and these are things that, like, are well out of our, our kind 

Gabrielle Martin:  of skill sets. 

Hazel Venzon: Um, and then to boot, it’s working with community members in, and involving them into the, the, the s- the text and the story, and so every show is, is extremely relevant to the, to the kind of, um, culture that we are, we are touring in, um, or we’re part of.

And, um, but yeah, so there’s these, there’s this, a whole new kind of, um, recipe of artistic, mm, like, artistic tools that neither of us have ever really worked with before, which makes us also vulnerable at the same time together. So we, we brought our strengths and we, we also, like, became puddles, um, just to try to figure this out.

It, it’s a… We set ourselves up for a really big task and, um, it took us a long time to really get to where we are, and it’s a r- it’s, it’s certainly, you know, it’s, it’s a, it’s a, a, a show that we’re deeply proud of 

Gabrielle Martin: Yeah, it’s beautifully realized, and we’re just thrilled that it’s gonna be at Push 2026 with the cult.

Yeah. Thanks so much for- Totally … your time. Thanks for sharing more about your practice and the process behind this work. 

Hazel Venzon: It’s, um, it’s been incredible, um, to, to chat about it and unfold it a little bit ’cause, uh, we don’t often get a chance to really step outside and, like, think about how we did what we did.

Um, I also wanted to give a, a, like, a shout-out to our companies that we will be working with, um, you know, in Vancouver. So Live Bayanala will be one of our collaborating partners, and so will The Chop, um, who I think, you know, y- like, they, they, they, they too have offered so much more to our process because of their relationships with, um, their social practices as well, which is it’s a really exciting mix of artists that we’re gonna be, um, we’re bringing to the stage in 2026.

Gabrielle Martin: Yeah, it is. It really is. Thanks so much, Hazel. 

Hazel Venzon: Oh, my pleasure, Gabrielle. Really, thank you. The pleasure was all mine.