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| 'Post APT,' a multidisciplinary performance exploring the experiences, opinions and possibilities surrounding apartments, will run at Space 111 in the Doosan Art Center, central Seoul, through July 6. Courtesy of Doosan Art Center |
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Apartments are the most common and most popular type of housing in Korea. According to Statistics Korea, there are 10.3 million apartment units in Korea, making up 60.6 percent of the total homes here as of 2018.
"Post APT," a multidisciplinary performance currently showing at Space 111 in Doosan Art Center (DAC), central Seoul, explores the various experiences, opinions and possibilities surrounding the dominant housing style. This is part of 2019 DAC Humanities Theater "Apartment Nation," a three-month program of lectures, plays and exhibitions revolving around the convenient yet desolate, as some might say, apartment.
The production, directed and choreographed by Jung Young-doo, is the result of an interesting collaboration between experts from different fields ― architect Chung I-sak of a.co.lab, composer Kayip, film director Paik Jong-kwan and choreographer Jung.
The four creators have been working on the project for over a year, researching, interviewing residents and visiting apartments, which culminate in this unique presentation.
"We wanted to introduce the concept of an exhibition to a performance," Kayip, who took charge of the sound, big data research and visual programming, said in an interview with The Korea Times last week.
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| Performer Park Jae-young acts during a pre-show performance of 'Post APT' at the Doosan Art Center. Courtesy of Doosan Art Center |
Audiences, called residents in "Post APT," may encounter performers even before entering the theater, as they are outside the theater, singing and dancing. Unlike a traditional theater, there are no assigned seats. Audience members can sit wherever they want and roam around freely during the show. They are encouraged to explore the set as much as possible, listening to different sounds installed in different parts, and move around to see the show from various perspectives.
Chung has experience in architectural exhibitions, serving as an associate curator and exhibitor of the Korean Pavilion for the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2016 and curator of the Korean Pavilion for the Beijing Design Week the same year.
"When I was first asked to join this project, I was a bit confused since I am not an apartment expert. Then I realized that just knowing about apartments was not enough to make a good project in terms of the performing arts," Chung said. "I included performance in my architecture and art exhibitions, so I accepted this project with a vague understanding of performing arts."
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| Architect Chung I-sak |
"The audience members have to face each other in this set design. The people on the opposite side become part of the background, just like in a cityscape. In an actual urban environment, there is no linear narrative, but several scenes coincide with each other. Each audience member is an autonomous person who interprets the scenes and writes a narrative," Chung said.
The architect also appears during certain performances as a special lecturer on the history of the apartment, going back to Le Corbusier, ancient Rome and even the pre-historic era.
"At first, the modern apartment was introduced to Korea as an attempt to provide some breathing space in overcrowded urban areas. However, nowadays apartments are not constructed to solve issues of space," Chung said. "They are constructed because of sanitation and safety as apartments were built at a time of modernization and cleanliness."
Certain spots ― the shower booth, terrace, artificial grass thicket, sand box, water and pyeongsang ― in the set are equipped with specific sounds and audiences can visit each to listen to them.
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| Composer Kayip |
Along with their tickets, each audience member is given a blindfold and instructed to wear them when the performers signal to do so. This blindfolding offers a unique experience of concentration.
Early on, audiences listen to the "Sound of Construction" with their eyes covered. The sound of nature progresses into the noises of a construction site.
Some of the sounds collected by Kayip came from an apartment complex, recorded for 24 hours.
"It was interesting how sound informs the passage of time at a single location. In the morning, I collected the busy sounds of people leaving. As time passes, more natural sounds such as bird calls become dominant in the afternoon. And in the evening, people return from school and work, filling the space with the sound of life. It was mesmerizing to witness the moments where the flow of life intersects," Kayip said.
The sounds he collected inspired one of the final scenes of the performance ― "Apartment Orchestra" ― in which the audience is urged to wear blindfolds once again. With their eyes covered, the audience members have their other senses heightened, allowing them to focus on the sounds.
Paik, known for his documentary and experimental films, created videos that amplify the on-site performances.
"At first, I conceived a more abstract video, juxtaposing the human body and apartments in an experiment of colors and shapes. However, it did not go well with the concept of the performance, so I consulted with director Jung and the performers to make a narrative," Paik said.
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| Film director Paik Jong-kwan |
"We had several candidate sites after researching and narrowed it down to these two after on-site surveys. The videos aim to expand the audiences' experiences beyond the limited space of the theater, providing an aesthetic foundation for thoughts on human habitation and past and future of apartment," Paik said.
The creators said there is not one right way to enjoy the performance.
"We don't suggest a correct answer for how and where to see Post APT. At first, the scenes in which performers describe events related to the history of apartments in Korea, such as retribution from the earth gods and the government's real estate policy, were held simultaneously at different parts of the set as we want the audiences to wander around to gather clues. We adjusted the scenes to be presented in a more linear way after rehearsals, but the concept remains the same. We want our residents to move around, collect snippets and combine them independently," Kayip said.
"The key is to move around as much as possible. In a traditional theater, you sit down in your designated space and the show is crammed into your brain. Post APT aims to provide a variety of experiences from different perspectives. The same scene, music, or video can be totally different if observed from a different viewpoint. Please experience this as you like," Paik added.
"Post APT" runs through July 6. For more information, visit www.doosanartcenter.com.
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| A scene from "Post APT" / Courtesy of Doosan Art Center |
