UPCOMING PROJECTS 2026

Such an honour to be choreographing and performing in this project. It’s been wild to be working with the artists from different disciplines and immersing myself in the puppeteering world––a secret love in my artistic practice that I have explored in some of my works.

IN SHADOWS (DALAM BAYANG-BAYANG) Presented by Darebin Arts Speakeasy

24 - 28 June 2026 | Wed - Sat 7.30pm | Sun 5pm

Northcote Town Hall Arts Centre | 189 High Street, Northcote

Details & Bookings here.

by Liang Luscombe, Isobel D'Cruz Barnes and Haneen Mahmood Martin

A pontianak's reckoning

A ghost story told through shadow puppetry, live music and dance, In Shadows (Dalam Bayang-Bayang) reimagines a classic tale from Southeast Asian folklore and immerses audiences in a world of shadow, sound and memory.  

Created by visual artist Liang Luscombe, musician and ethnomusicologist Isobel D’Cruz Barnes, and writer–producer Haneen Mahmood Martin, the work follows a woman transformed by betrayal and loss into the pontianak, a spectral figure known for her long black hair, haunting laughter, and lingering presence among the banana trees and frangipani-scented air.  

This retelling follows a woman who falls in love with a man obsessed with her hair. When she attempts to reclaim her independence by cutting off her hair, he turns violent and murders her. She transforms into the pontianak, a monstrous spirit who will not forget. 

Enter a world of shadow puppetry inspired by Malaysian wayang kulit, live music by the five-piece ensemble Hantu, and dance-theatre influenced by butoh. Moody, evocative, and steeped in the supernatural, In Shadows (Dalam Bayang-Bayang) offers a contemporary experience of Southeast Asian storytelling, immersing audiences in a haunting spirit world.