Living in a box is being transformed into an art form in Shanghai's Xintiandi where an Australian trio (the fourth member will hopefully join them next week) are conducting daily performances in a big glass capsule under the public's gaze 24/7 for a full 12 days.

In Shanghai's Xintiandi, the glass capsule where Austra-lian performance artists Neil Thomas, Nick Papas and Andrew Morrish are living looks like an old Shanghai movie scene - the nostalgic wallpaper, calendars, classical furniture and charming shikumen-style (stone-gated house) interior.

It's difficult to imagine that the four artists from the Urban Dream Capsule (UDC) have already spent more than 4,032 hours (or 180 days) performing in this air-conditioned encased world over the past decade. This time, the artists are staying in the city for 12 days in their special "room."

They live day-to-day lives in the capsule, presenting spontaneous performances and interacting with people outside the window 24 hours a day. "It's not like a normal reality show," says Morrish. "We attract people but they don't need to pay. We're excited about being in China."

The show, which began on Tuesday, is being given in a natural and direct way, in which the three (the fourth member, David Well, may show up later as he's currently sick) who have been friends for 20 years will turn everyday living into entertainment. They will turn dinner-time into a dance show, showering into a comedy and cooking into an interactive exercise.

In a performance earlier, to the accompaniment of the music from Wang Kar-wai's movie "In the Mood for Love," the artists swiftly immersed themselves into a quiet and dreamlike mood. The dynamic flamenco-style music had the three dancing lightly.

"I just couldn't wait to see another of their performances so I made an excuse and 'escaped' from work," says Angela Yang, a local marketing executive. "It is a fresh art form to me, interactive and connecting people from all walks of life."

Since UDC's debut at the 1996 Melbourne Festival, they have performed in many cities, including London, Chicago, Sydney and Hong Kong, bringing people together and making them laugh.

"The location in Xintiandi is very intriguing," Morrish adds. "It's preserved some of the history. We find that the city has so many modern and contemporary sites, but the way this area connects with the past is very interesting to us."

Thomas, who studied philosophy and has been an actor, is the creative director of UDC. He notes that the 65-square-meter capsule with strong traditional Chinese elements has a very homely feeling.

"We have been learning Mandarin, Chinese cooking, traditional Chinese opera, music and even tai chi," Thomas says. "Plus, the Shanghai performance will have the world premier of our latest choreographed dance 'Zombie Ballet'."

Chinese people are familiar with TV reality shows, but it's the first outdoor reality show held in the city.

According to Pan Lizhen, an experienced director of entertainment TV programs in the Shanghai Media Group, UDC's performance art is "a good way of communicating with people and reflects a rising art form in this modern society."

"In terms of cultural background, Chinese audiences are still not prepared for these 'Trueman show'-type TV shows, though it is a popular genre in the West," Pan says. "I don't think it's a sustainable mode for TV producers. Many people only watch these programs out of curiosity."

"People here are very friendly and warm, and that is the necessary characteristic for us to work," Thomas says. "As it is a warm show, we respond to people's warmth and people who like a warm experience will quickly respond to us. It connects with every one, young or old, businessman or even someone who has no idea about art."

During the show, the audience can communicate with the actors through notes written on or pressed to the glass, e-mails and faxes. Non-verbal communication is everywhere.

Among the many written notes displayed to the artists on other side of the glass is a note from a Belgian woman telling them: "My husband died six months ago. You guys are making me smile again."

Living in this special room has caused the actors to observe how lonely city dwellers are, and how widespread human need for love and connection is.

"People can be free in a sense - talk freely, give freely, see freely and experience freely," Thomas says. "There are a lot of beautiful things here that people should see."

In the modern world, UDC is trying to provoke the audience into questioning their assumptions about the nature of communication and promote a new way of "speaking." A simple gaze or a gesture can convey so much and language is never the problem.

"To communicate simply means we have to be open," says Papas. "But it's not that easy. People are not open nowadays."

Children are usually the first group to approach the glassed world, and it's the little people who connect with them first during their shows wherever they are in the world. The actors say that they usually receive a different audience in the first few days, then gradually develop a close relationship with their audience.

The secret to the success of UDC's performances, according to Thomas, is its openness and hospitality.

"We're doing any kind of trick or antic in the box to get people involved," he says.

(Shanghai Daily June 24, 2006)