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Working on our MU Painting as prayer and putting intentions on lines, colors and shapes. Dana Kawano and myself set long time together to talk about potential of visual score. I shared with her lots of my drawings to show her, and I asked her “ Can we make painting that is like score of what Puri Arts preparing for the MU.”

Then we went to art store and get the paper to start, Dana told me “ Dohee bring this one with you and start draw what you see, think and imagine then we can begin together”, so I brought it back to home and start drawing what I imagine my prayer looks like then magician Dana started add her gift and specialty on drawing with lines, colors and details of her magic.

Dana is multi gifted person that I met and doing so many works together. Not only drawings like this but also costumes and installations. We share lots of details on aspect of stories, ritual preparations, cultures, tradition, new thoughts, histories and politics and so many other parts. From all these depth of conversation brought out our mutual depth of the work as practice on life.

this began early 2018 and every year we extend and expand the vision of prayer. our stories on hills, moon, sun, waters, tears and seed, rocks, trees, flowers, ropes, messengers and ribbons. So much to tell from untold stories that buried so long ago and also our time that we are struggling. This is not only personal journey but the collective personal becomes communal and historical wounded memories.

Land, Myth, Ancestors, Birth and death, Race, Resist, Home, Roots, Culture, Language, Immigrants, Migrants, Refugees, Silence, Seed, Truth, Grief, Fear, Unite, Separation, Solidarity, Hope, Rebirth, Transformation

So much to say for the justice on humanity on this sacred land. How can we save and protect these from violence, hatred, discrimination, separation, destructions built by fear and greed.

I feel so responsible to take actions through arts with beloved communities who dedicate their stories for their community and and extended community and  people as well. We are trying to share our actions what we could contribute for the better place for the humanity and keeping for the sacred land.

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Developing “ MAIDHAR” with Bay Area Bhutanese Youth Group storytelling performance has been such a great experience.

Learning their lives, culture, stories and history bridges our story and history as well. Repeating tragic stories from past to present is on going and we are trying hard to address that grieves through our truthful storytelling art piece so we are not repeating that history over and over again. We have reasons to do and share with people and public together.

Seeing displacement in here and other countries through time period, people leave their beloved ones from their own countries, tortured from the truth, separating from the family members, political and economical cause of people to be fled and sheltered... so many people from different countries through times.... my ancestor was one of them in 1907... leaving his beloved country and family to take back their country from the colonization.

I could feel their pain and struggles through “MAIDHAR” story. Walls, Borders, Wars, Camps, Identity, Displacement, Culture, Roots and Ancestors and Resists bridge stories in the world. Bay Area Bhutanese Youth, they are still young, most of them were born in refuge camp but they are taking their steps to share their stories, untold histories and try to remember their history and identity and taking leadership to continue this struggles into positive force for the hope. Sharing not only their communities but also all the people who are struggling from separated family and their ancestral land that they belong to is part of reason that they are sharing their stories.

Their work evolves every time with their passion and importance to face on reality on humanity crisis that is same to myself. Why we are sharing this work together through arts, we believe that doing performance as action, when we address our stories, it transforms ourselves and we believe that it will transform others as well.

Their on going work will be present:

August 2nd and 3rd at Flight Deck (Friday for their community and Saturday for public) and Oct 5th at Peralta Hacienda Hostorical Park and 2020 at Yerba Buena Center For the Arts with Dohee Lee’s Puri Arts.

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This is the Bulwhigong project that I did with Jeju Island artist/activist: Jin Oh Han and Yong Ye Yu in Jeju Island.

"The Future of the Disappeared,"

Bulwhigong Project

A visual art of ritual performance, for exposing deadly destruction of the land and many scared sites by senseless industrial development in the Jeju Islands, South Korea, and for showing how to heal the earth through arts and shamanic ritual.  From the beginning of 2000s, the Jeju Islands has been experiencing brutal attacks on Her land by tourism, militarism, and capitalism. Worst, many scared sites have been erased from the ancient landscape for good, by dynamite explosion, for building a naval base and tourism. 

Through her signature style of performance that are deeply rooted in traditional shamanism in Korea, Dohee Lee captures and conjures up hauntingly the powerful, healing, life-affirming story of the mythological world of the ancient goddess Sulmundae, the Creatrix of Jeju.

Finally "The Future of the Disappeared" also functions as a shamanic ritual for the dead. In general this ritual is called kut, and in the Jeju tradition, it is called "Sanamkut." In this kut, the living and the dead mingle, share pain and regret, and build bond through healing, for a better world. In this performance of ritual and visual art, Dohee Lee conjures and captures traditional shamanism and life-affirming mythology of Jeju Island, South Korea.

Through her signature style of dance and Pansori musical storytelling, she tells the tale of Sulmundae, the creator Goddess of Jeju. In this legend, Sulmundae created the entire island, and labored to balance both her people and the natural world. Eventually her people’s indiscreet desires and greed cause her to disappear into crater of the Halra Volcano, where she remains today. In real life, Jeju Island has been radically transformed by growth and development, tourism and the military.

Many scared sites have been erased from the landscape.

“The Future of the Dissappeared” functions as a shamanic ritual in the Jeju Sanamkut tradition as well. In this ritual, the living and the dead mingle, to share pain and regret, and to build bonds through which healing can occur, for a better world. This summons the Goddess Sulmundae to return back to her people and home, to protect them both. Performed by Dohee Lee, Direction by Jinoh Han and Dohee Lee.

“사라져가는 것들의 미래” 불휘공 프로잭트 제의가 들어왔을때, 왠지모를 나의 다음 순례의 발걸음이라 생각하였다. 고국을 떠난지 18년이라는 시간이 흐르고 지금 생각해보면 나는 내 고향으로 되돌아오기위해 먼길을 떠났던것 같다. 되돌아 오는 여정이 나에겐 쉽지 않았다. 수많은 역사를 되돌아보며 눈물을 훔치고 분노를 토해냈으며, 외할아버지와 할머니가 내리신 터 모슬포 대정, 내가 태어난 그곳을 회상하며 크나큰 사랑과 고향땅의 소중함을 느꼈으며, 신화를 통해 섬/땅의 정체성을 나의 몸과 영성의 정체성과 연결하며 배웠으며 또한 과거, 현재 그리고 미래까지 연결해주시는 설문대, 영등할망의 혼에 나는 이 걸음을 한발 한발 딛으며 내 온 마음과 혼을 싣어 담으려 했고 담으려 한다.

 제주를 떠나 육지로 그런후 미국으로 민들레 홀씨처럼 난 여정의 바람길에 항상 있었던것 같다. 미국 오클랜드에 정착하며 나는 줄곧 나는 누구인가라는 정체성, 어디서 왔는가, 나의 역사 신화는 무엇인가라는 화두를 놓지 않았다. 참으로 감사한것은 한국에서 공부한 나의 춤과 악이 나의 단단한 뿌리가 되어 중심을 잡아주었고 나는 그것을 토대로 한국출신 예술인으로 미국에서 활발히 예술과 교육활동을 하고있다.

미국에서 풀어나가는 한국의 역사, 제주의 역사 그리고 현실, 위안부 할머니들의 삶, 아시아계의 이민자, 라틴아메리카의 이주자 그리고 난민들의 삶에 대하여 끊임없이 굿을 모티브로 실험창작의 새로운 굿을 현지의 커뮤니티들과 예술인들과 함께 작업하고 있다.

이러한 꾸준한 여정의 길이였기에 나는 설문대할망의 맘을 영등할망 숨에 담아 태평양 건너까지 그 메세지를 나는 들을수 있었던것같다. 그렇기에 나는 해마다 초봄이면 영등할망의 바람과 함께 고향으로 향했다. 그리고 그 바람은 나를 이 프로잭트와 다리를 놓아주었다.

 물론 우리의 작업은 쉽지 않았다. 현장에서 부딪히고 느껴야만 했던 작업이기에, 이 모든 작업이 나에겐 비념이었다. 나에겐 저항이었고, 순례였고, 바램이었다.

매섭게 불어오는 바람도, 날카롭게 날이선 현무암의 돌도, 뼈가 시리도록 찬 바닷물도, 돌을 뚫고 자라나오는 가시달린 풀들도 모든것들이 아픈 역사와 현실을 담고있는듯, 발을 딛는 모든곳이 나에겐 아픔이었고 분노였고 그리움이었다. 떠나버린 자, 오랜시간을 멀리서 방관했던 자의 자책감도 있었고 미안함도 있어서인가 이 작업이 참으로 기��고 소중한 만큼 아팠다. 그래서 이 작업은 또다시 시작이다. 불휘공의 “사라진것들의 미래”는 나에게 또다른 한 순례의 길이며 또 지속해야할 나의 여정이다. 끝이 없는 시작이다. 제주의 섬이 오롯히 제주의 섬이 될수있을  그때까지… 제주저항의 바람은 독립이 필요한 땅들의 정신을 잇는 다리가 될것이라 믿는다.

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I had a interview with Stance on Dance about my work in general and recent work MU: Community Ritual.

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Puri Arts Current work MU: Connector (2018-2020) with CoRazOn, Bay Area Bhutanese Youth, Ieumsae, Peralta Hacienda historical Park’s Teatro Jonarlero And Puri Arts Ensemble.

Preparation is on going but has been begun pretty long time ago. It connect with my previous work from ARA and MAGO. My work has been evolve/guided from previous works to extend and expand.

For the initiation, I had to go back to my hometown Jeju Island to work on land, myth and ritual that land has suffered memories and still resist on injustice. People are protesting to keep the sacred land and nature and try to keep the peace island from the militarized base. As native born in island and as an artist, I need to express the rights on land, nature and peace through art. Art as spiritual activism.

And back to Oakland and with our village diverse communities, we still share about our collective memories of grief and fears that came from multi layers of times. Through our voices as immigrants, economical and forced migrants, refugees, we share not only our ancestral land’s history and stories but also connect to this Indeginous Ohlone land here. Of course, it is not easy to look into, touch and being heard our painful stories but we dedicate this collective stories as messages to the nation and to the world that so much danger in humanity and land now.

I am going to share little by little here as my journey journal of MU process.

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Samsin, Bari, Daesin and Ogu Prayers for them! Yes, continuing!!!

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Journey of Bari who inspires life now that we are taking a journey in this modern time to echoing hers. Since I have done work deepSea2009, SPoRA2010 and ARA2015,16 and present, it all connects to this deity "Bari/Ogoo" for next MU:connector.

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바리 - 오구

바리

1. 바리공주의 부모가 하늘에서 땅으로 귀양을 온다 2. 바리공주 부모가 혼인을 하기 위해 점복자에게 점을 치나 점의 결과를 무시한다 3. 바리공주 부모가 혼인을 한다 4.바리공주의 부모가 남이 자식있음을 부러워한다 5. 바리공주의 부모가 연이어 딸을 낳는다 6. 아들을 얻기 위해 공을 드린다 7. 바리공주를 낳기전 태몽을 얻는다 8.일곱번째도 공주를 낳는다 9. 바리공주가 버림을 받는다 10. 구조자가 버려진 곳에서 바리공주를  구해낸다 11. 양육자가 바리공주를 키워준다 12.바리공주가 성장한다 13. 바리공주의 부모가 병에 걸린다 14. 병에 필요한 약이 서천서역에 있는 약수임을 알게된다 15.바리공주를 찾기로한다 16. 바리공주가 부모를 만난다 17. 바리공주가 처���에는 약수물 가지러 가기를 거절한다 18. 바리공주는 자신을 찾아온 사람들과 부모임을 확인하는 시험을 한다 19.여섯 딸들에게 약물 떠어기를 부탁하자 모두 핑계를 대고 거절한다 20. 바리공주가 약수물 가지러 길을 떠난다 21. 바리공주는 도중에 원조자를 만나 도움을 받아 낙화를 받아 앞길을 나갈대 만나는 고난을 해결하는데 결정적인 도움을 받는다 22. 바리공주는 도중에 주어진 업무를 해결한다: 사람들의 죄상을 알려준다, 잡일을 해준다, 귀신을 물리친다, 산신 용황에게 일을 해준다 23. 바리공주는 도중에 지옥에 갇힌다 또는 지나치며 구경을 한다 24. 바리공주는 도중에 죄인들을 지옥에서 구제한다 25. 바리공주는 약수 지키는 무장승을 만난다 26. 바리공주가 여자임을 감추려하나 결국 여자임이 탄로난다 27. 바리공주는 약수를 얻기 위해 대가를 행한다, 석삼년 일을 해주고 아들셋을 낳아준다 28. 바리공주가 부모의 위독함을 꿈으로 알게된다 29. 바리공주가 약수탕을 다녀온다 30. 바리공주가 약수를 얻고 돌아오는 도중에 도움을 받는다: 먼 거리를 빨리 돌아올수있는 도움, 필요할때 사용하라는 서책과 진언 31. 바리공주가 꽃 구경을 하다가 사람 살리는 꽃을 얻는다 32. 바리공주는 돌아오는 도중에 저승가는 배들의 행렬을 구경한다: 사람이 이승에 있을때의 선악에 따라 배의 모양새가 달라진다고 묘사되어있다 33. 바리공주는 시간이 늦어서 벌써 상여가 나온다는 말을 듣는다 34. 바리공주는 언니들의 방해를 받으나 물리친다 35. 바리공주가 부모를 살려낸다 36. 바리공주의 남편이 대궐을 헐고 입시한다 37. 키를 재어보고 바리공주와 남편이 천생연분임을 안다 38. 바리공주가 부모 살린 공을 받는다: 무조신격의 성격을 가지고 있는 바리공주가 결말 부위에 와서는 무조신으로 좌정한다. 오구신, 만신의 몸주, 북두칠성, 인위왕, 죽은이 저승인도 등등.... 39. 바리공주외 다른 사람들도 공덕을 인정받는다.

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MU: 무 Working on New ritual about Connector. My drawings are begun.

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ARA III: Waterways, Time Weaves With our collective group and creative team.

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This work is about ARA Ritual that I did with Puri Arts, CoRazOn and BABYs at Eastside Cultural Center in Oakland and also Red Puppy Arts Center in SF in 2016 and 2017.

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ARAII: Time Weaves with CoRazOn, BABYs and Puri Arts creative collaborators. It was so rich, deep and sincere process! Thank you all for being part of this! This ritual was and still is important to break our silence and speak up for not only ourselves but also others and ancestors!!!! Past, present and future meet all the same time on same path!

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At Berkeley Art Museum

ritual for Hak Kyung Cha

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Howae!!!!!

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Prep for the performance this month!!!!

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the memorial day of her death

March 4th 1951, Right after the Korean War,Theresa Hak Kyung Cha was born in Pusan in South Korea. In 1960′s Korean people against dictator government, Her and her family immigrated in Hawaii then San Francisco in United States in 1963 while American people against the Vietnam War. In 1981, She moved to New York to pursue her artist career and following year Nov 5th 1982, she was raped and killed by The Puck Building Security Guard and her body was found at the parking lot on Elizabeth st. in New York City When the city was the worst crime in History.

Some will not know age

Some not age

Time stops

Time will stop for some

For them especially

Eternal time

No age

Time fixes for some

Why resurrect it all now, From the past, History, The old wound. The past emotions all over again. To confess to relieve the same folly. To name it now so as not to repeat history in oblivion. To extract each fragment by each fragment from the word  from the image another word another image the reply that will not repeat history in oblivion.