In Our Town
cross-artform community project
@ Mummak sijan with Nottle Theatre Company
Nottle Theatre Company, Yoon Giwon, Naomi Ota,
Tim Humphrey and Sam Mcgilp.
The project carried out in collaborative and community settings reflecting people’s activities in relation to a traditional market, Munmak Shijan in rural South Korea.
Reflecting face to face communication which is significant value of sijan, Naomi created “Dear Mothers” seeking to exchange her handmade accessories with mothers’ words that she misses from her own mother.
“Dear Mothers
" My mother has dementia.
She has forgotten many things…doesn’t know how to cook, clean and so on any longer.
Her world is getting more and more strange and I miss how we used to talk.
What she still loves is looking in a mirror and wearing accessories.
I’ve been making a lot of those because she so easily looses or breaks them.
Dear mothers, please receive a gift from a daughter…
And exchange it with “mother’s words” that I’m longing to hear.
Please write down your words here.”
Wonju sijan - artists research
The project was a practice-led research to develop a new artistic methodology for a site-specific installation-performance focusing on issues of ‘regionality’ and ‘cultural significance’ in the present state of the society. It was carried out in collaborative and community settings reflecting people’s activities on and in relation to a traditional market, ‘Wonju Jungang Shijan (Wonju Central Market: Gangwon-do, South Korea). The project explored meanings of existence of preserved culture at the market not only about their products but also invisible heritage such as organic network as an important cultural dimension.
The target community was store holders (particularly women over 70’s) and their regular customers. The project studied the physical sites, social elements and interact with the community members to explore their activities at the market as well as their daily lives and personal accounts.
The outcome has been published as a book titled “The record of 47 days”.
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