Jaha Koo
Cuckoo
- 12.11 — 14.11 2022
- CCB - Blackbox
- 12,50€ (see discounts)
- ages 12+
- 60 min
- in Korean and English with portuguese surtitles
A journey through the last 20 years of Korean history told by a bunch of talkative rice cookers.
Jaha Koo and many other South Koreans of his generation came of age in the midst of a financial crisis. Similarly to what happened in Portugal and other European countries beginning in 2008, youth unemployment and social inequalities increased dramatically.
From Amsterdam, where he was studying, Jaha Koo witnessed how rising suicide rates, acute social withdrawal and a fixation on personal appearance affected his friends in Seoul. When his Cuckoo rice cooker (a well-known Korean brand) played its melody to inform him that his meal was ready, he too experienced a deep sense of isolation.
In bittersweet and humorous dialogues, Jaha and his clever rice cookers take you on a journey through the last 20 years of Korean history, combining personal experience with political events and reflections on happiness, economic crises and death.
Credits
Concept, direction, text, music, video Jaha Koo Performance Hana, Duri, Seri & Jaha Koo Cuckoo hacking Idella Craddock Scenography, media operation Eunkyung Jeong Tecnical direction Bart Huybrechts Translation (PT) Joana Frazão Dramaturgical advice Dries Douibi Production Kunstenwerkplaats Pianofabriek Coproduction Bâtard Festival Support CAMPO, STUK, BUDA, DAS, SFAC & Noorderzon / Grand Theatre Groningen Premiere Steirischer Herbst (AT, 2017) Funded by Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie
Jaha Koo (he/him) is a South Korean theatre/performance maker, music composer and videographer. His artistic practice oscillates between multimedia and performance, encompassing his own music, video, text, and robotic objects. His Hamartia Trilogy includes Lolling and Rolling (2015), Cuckoo (2017), and The History of Korean Western Theatre (2020). The trilogy represents a long-term exploration of the political landscape, colonial history and cultural identity of East Asia. Thematically, it focuses on structural issues in Korean society and how the inescapable past...