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Jaha Koo
Cuckoo
Presented by Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC)
photos: Wolf Silveri, Radovan Dranga, Eunkyung Jeong
A journey through the last 20 years of Korean history told by a bunch of talkative rice cookers.
A journey through the last 20 years of Korean history told by a bunch of talkative rice cookers. One day when his electric rice cooker informed him that his meal was ready, South Korean artist Jaha Koo experienced a deep sense of “Golibmuwon” (고립무원). Twenty years ago a major economic crisis hugely impacted Jaha Koo’s generation of South Korean youth. “Golibmuwon”’ is the untranslatable Korean word for the feeling of helpless isolation that arose for many. In bittersweet and humorous dialogues with Jaha’s clever rice cookers, Cuckoo takes you on a journey through the past two decades of Korean history, combining Jaha’s personal experiences with political events and reflections on happiness, economic crises, and mortality.
Note: Cuckoo is performed in English and Korean with English surtitles. This production contains strobes and flashing lights. Cuckoo contains footage of suicide, mature language and explicit content. It is recommended for mature audiences.
SCHEDULE
Thursday, January 16 @ 7pm
Friday, January 17 @ 7pm
Saturday January 18 @ 1pm
Saturday January 18 @ 6pm
Run time: 55 minutes
CREDITS
Concept, direction, text, music and video: Jaha Koo
Performance: Hana, Duri, Seri & Jaha Koo
Cuckoo hacking: Idella Craddock
Scenography & digital support: Eunkyung Jeong
Dramaturgical advice: Dries Douibi
Technique: Bart Huybrechts
Production: Kunstenwerkplaats Pianofabriek
Executive Producer: CAMPO
Coproduction: Bâtard Festival
Support provided by: CAMPO, STUK, BUDA, DAS, SFAC & Noorderzon/Grand Theatre with the support of the Flemish Community
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Jaha Koo (he/him, born in 1984) is a South Korean theater/performance maker, music composer and videographer who lives and works in Gent (BE). His artistic practice oscillates between multimedia and performance, encompassing his own music, video, text and robotic actors joining him on stage. Koo is well known for his ambitious Hamartia Trilogy, on which he worked over 6 years. This trilogy of solo works 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 tragically affects our lives today. In personal stories about family, growing up, migration, combined with political and societal-historical issues he touches universal themes that find resonance in different countries and contexts all over the world. Currently, Jaha Koo is traveling with his new creation, Haribo Kimchi, which premiered in June 2024.
