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| French tight rope walker Johanne Humblet and her troupe performs "Resist" in front of Seoul Metropolitan Library, during a preview demonstration for the press, Wednesday. / Korea Times photos by Lee Suh-yoon |
By Lee Suh-yoon
Seoul Street Arts Festival (SSAF) returns this week, featuring a variety of contemporary performances throughout the capital from Thursday through Sunday.
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| Korean artist Yoo Ji-soo performs "My Home in the Air" in front of City Hall, Wednesday. The piece explores the fragility of boundaries using a translucent floating house. |
In the street theater piece "On the way to Cemetery" by Teatro del Silencio, a moving parade will be put on at the Cheonggye Stream with some 50 actors enacting the journey from the cradle to the grave. The piece by the Chilean theater company is inspired by the existential universe of Samuel Beckett.
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| Perched on a windowsill at Seoul Metropolitan Library, artist John Fisherman dangles a fake 100 euro bill from a fishing pole in his #MoneyForFree performance, Wednesday. |
Meanwhile, the piece titled "Conflict Tourism," the only event visitors have to pay for, will bus you out of the city to the DMZ, where artists will give their interpretation of the conflict zone in a form of "dark tourism."
"We chose these performances so people could enter familiar everyday spaces with artists. These kind of interactions can create new meaning, leading to an active rediscovery of urban spaces," Cho Dong-hee, the festival's artistic director, told The Korea Times.
Like previous years, the festival will also include a good selection of circus acts, contemporary dance and traditional Korean art forms like "talchum" (mask dance) and "pungmulnori" (percussion dance).
Another notable performance is "History of Slogans." Seoul is known for its history of street democracy, and the main slogans from the past rallies that took place between 1945 and 2015 will be unfolded on the walls of the Cecil Theater.
The SSAF, originally called Hi Seoul Festival, first started in 2003. It's funded by the city government and Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture (SFAC). Some shows may be rescheduled due to the typhoon or rallies near Gwanghwamun Square. For the updated performance timetable, visit ssaf.or.kr.
