The Bridal Lament is an ambitious new performance and music project by award-winning vocalist, producer and multi-disciplinary artist Rainbow Chan 陳雋然.

Drawing on her Weitou ancestry (first settlers of Hong Kong), the work reimagines a Weitou ritual known as the bridal lament, a public performance of grief in which a bride wept and sang in front of her family and friends. In this liminal space, brides expressed bitterness towards their arranged marriages and the prevailing patriarchal rule.

Conceived and structured as a song cycle, the work brings to life intergenerational and cross-cultural perspectives on diasporic experiences and the complex history of Hong Kong in an emotionally resonant and sumptuous audiovisual experience. Featuring a suite of new songs from Chan, The Bridal Lament pays homage to the Weitou ritual, bringing to life a dynamic world of projection, movement and colour.