Contemporary performance that’s not bound to any conventional venue can take you to an extraordinary place, physically as well as mentally. Such is the case with Argentine director, playwright, actor and visual artist Fernando Rubio’s “Everything by My Side”, which was staged at the Supreme Court Terrace on the fourth floor of the National Gallery over the opening weekend of Singapore International Festival of Arts (Sifa) 2016.

Each of the 10 actresses – one of them local and the others from the countries in which this work has been staged – lay on one side of a white bed. For their part, audience members were assigned bed numbers and told to study the instructions, one of which was that we should always remain silent from the moment we lay down next to the actress until the moment she said “I see you soon”. In the waiting area I spotted a blind woman being guided by her dog, and was pleased that unlike most other performances, this was one to be heard and felt, rather than watched. A staff member, having noticed that most audience members were not lying on their sides facing the actresses but on their backs, emphasised this instruction.

I closely followed the instructions and for about 10 minutes my bedmate whispered a personal story that was hers as much as mine – I could easily relate to and learn from it. Evidently a seasoned thespian, and notwithstanding a Latin American accent, her diction was always clear and the shift from staring up past my shoulder and looking straight into my eyes made the transition from the story’s past into the present clearer. While I wished the story were longer and I could savour this special moment more, it was indeed fulfilling. At the end I couldn’t help but say, “Thank you,” to which she didn’t reply but simply smiled, her eyes brimming with emotion. That was the parting and long-lasting image that still brings a smile to my face whenever I recall it.

That memorable experience also reminded me of US-born, UK-based performance artist Brian Lobel’s “You Have to Forgive Me, You Have to Forgive Me, You Have to Forgive Me”, which I attended last summer at Edinburgh Fringe. For that, I filled out a long questionnaire the evening before – it took me an hour to finish. Lobel, having studied my answers, would pick an appropriate episode of “Sex and the City” to watch together in its entirety on his laptop computer and discuss relationship issues with me, in pyjamas, in a bed set up in a corner of a theatre lobby, while onlookers watched the same episode on another TV screen and eavesdropped on our conversation.

This kind of experiential performance may not be commercially feasible – the box office would never cover the production cost – but it highlights the direct interaction between the audience and performer and the emphasis on each individual, and is a real experience. Even augmented reality games like “Pokemon Go” can’t match it. This doesn’t cause traffic accidents either – you’re in the most comfortable position, lying in bed, not walking on the sidewalk.

AND INTO WEEK 4

– Seen at Lincoln Centre Festival last month, Huang Ruo’s music theatre “Paradise Interrupted” opens this Wednesday.

– Opening a day later is choreographer Trajal Harrell’s “In the Mood for Frankie”. Harrell will also perform his solo “The Return of La Argentina” on Sunday.

– SIFA continues until September 17. Admission ranges from free to S$80 (20-per-cent discount

for students and seniors).

– For reservations and more details, go to http://www.SIFA.sg.