Reclaim: Language & Machines in a Contemporary Age

Lolling & Rolling

Linguistic Funerals

Photo: Bea Borgers

Hi.

IstheveryfirstwordthatJaha Koosayswhenhestepsonstage, themostcommonformofgreeting someoneinEnglish Yetthereis somethingmystifyingaboutthis actofgreeting,utteredbyayoung Koreanmanaccompaniedwitha turntable

Lolling&Rollingisbest describedasauniquesortof aching.Inexcavatinglanguage imperialism,thereisadeep, runningpainthatisimpossibleto ignore FromtheKoreanwarto modernSeoul,Jahachartsthe paththatimperialismhasbuilt,a pathwhicheventuallybleedsinto hispersonalexperiencesof learningEnglish Welearnhis EnglishteacherJackwasa Europeanwarveteranwhofought againstKoreaatonepoint,and hismemoriesofKoreaare completelyestrangedfromJaha’s Jackisunabletorecognisethe present-daycityscape,andinsists therearepeopleJahaneedstobe watchfulof,evenwhenthestreets containnotracesofwar

PhotobyBeaBorgers

JahaandJackhavearelationship thatisprofoundlyintimate,but alsostrange,borderingonafever dream-likeperversion.Jackisa dearfriend,butwasalsooncean oppressor TheairintheblackboxtheatrethinswhenJaha describeshisstrangedreamsof JackspeakinginKorean,through whichJackexperiencesaSeoul thathehasneverseenbefore

I’mcompelledtoreckonwithmy ownstrangerelationshipwith oppression,andthetonguethatI usetospeakandarticulate myself Particularlyinmodern-day Singapore,whereEnglishisan essentialpartofsurviving.Jaha carriesmyguiltasadiasporic Asiancitizen,wrestlingbetween languages,tryingtounerase myselfintoanEnglish-speaking consciousness.Jaha’sartistryin Lolling&Rollingisalmostaform ofmourning forJack,for Koreanprisonersofwarunder JapaneseandAmerican imperialism,forthetonguethat lollsitselfeasilyinEnglish. Understandingourpresent standardsofspeakingand languageisajourneythatbegins muchearlierthanwethink,asis havingtheaudacitytorethink linguisticprogressandwhatit meanstousnow

Photo: Bea Borgers

Iwonderaboutmyownlanguage,theonethatlivesinmy handsanddreams Sittingwiththepitinmystomach,and thelossofmyancestorstothesameimperialistcrimes thattheydidn’tdeserve MuchlikeJaha,theylikely survivedtheirpolicedtonguesbydreamingintheirnative language Perhaps,evenwiththewedgeoftime,westill carrytheweightofourpasts strugglingtoreclaimwhat isleftofourselves.Maybeitiswithinthesegapsoftime andspacethatweareabletoreclaimwhatwastaken fromus,andrepairourvoices,piecebypiece

Photo: Marie Clauzade

Cuckoo

More Than Just A Cooker

Photo:EunkyungJeong

SteamgreetsmeasItakemy seatintheblackboxforCuckoo, emanatingsilentlyoutofared, sleekricecooker.AnAsian householdisalmostincomplete withoutthepresenceofrice,a staplefoodthatnourishesfamilies acrosstheregion Aricecookeris anessentialdeviceinkeepinga familywell-fed,throughits versatilityandaccessibility

ThesecondpartofJaha’s HamartiaTrilogy(ofwhichLolling &Rollingispart1),Cuckooisa visceralexplorationofmodern SouthKoreansociety.The performancetracesatimeline beginningfromJaha’sbirth,aswe witnessvariouspoliticalevents thatoccuragainstthebackdropof hisgrowth.It’satimelineof unease,wherethecitystreetsare builtbyworkingclasspeopleand minorities Thereisacontinuing andpervasivesenseofthe personalblurringthepolitical. Publicspacesbuiltbytheworking classareapreservationofthis struggle,yetthesamepeopleare demonisedanddrivenfromthese spaceswhentheyareunableto keepupwiththeincreasing pressuresofSouthKorean society

Photo: Wolf Silveri

Jaha’sexperiencesareexpressed usingthreericecookers These ‘cuckoos’(abrandnamethat’s becomeaKoreantermof endearmentforthericecooker) arealsocharactersintheirown right completewithnames,and complexfeelingsabouttheir purposeasmachines Thisutterly dazzlesme.I’velivedmyentire lifewitharicecookerinmyhome, butoneswithstrikingLEDlights andautomatedvoicesarea completelynewdiscoveryforme.

There is something so deeply dystopian about being impressed by this, but I push this aside in favour of my temporary high. I watch in awe as the rice cookers berateandarguewithoneanother about their importance They question if they can be more than just what they were built to be. Their robotic, monotone voices articulate their deepest loneliness to Jaha bringing to mind our present-dayrelianceonmachines This relationship is strictly transactional,yetvitalinpropelling modern conveniences forward It’s atroubling,soberingimage

Photo:RadovanDranga

WhereLolling&Rollingdealswithhistory,Cuckootrudgesonwiththefuture Jaha’s presentisacontinuationofLolling&Rolling’spervasivemourning,thistimebleedinginto hispersonallife.Hedetailsthedeathsofclosefriendsthroughouttheyears,mostofwhom havebeenlosttosuicide.SuicideisasignificantcauseofdeathinSouthKorea adeath happensevery37minutes,accordingtotheshow ForJaha,SouthKoreaisagraveyard He haslostsomeofhismostimportantpeopletoitswoes Theonlyconstantisnoneotherthan theCuckoo numb,immobile,yetsprightlyinitsautomatedvoice Alwaysreadytodowhat itneedstodo.

Thissequelpieceisanexcavationofthenotionofprogress.Inasocietystillrepairingitself fromitsimperialistpast,Jahaholdsspaceforitsunique,collectivemourning Inatimewhen thingschangesorapidly,perhapsthereissolaceinourconstants evenwhentheytakethe formofared,tinycuckoo

Photo: Radovan Dranga

JahaKoo(He/him)isaSouthKorean theater/performancemaker,musiccomposer andvideographer Hisartisticpractice oscillatesbetweenmultimediaand performance,allofwhichincludehisown music,video,textandinstallation

Hisworksarecloselyinterwovenwithpolitics andhistory,especiallytakinganinterestinthe politicallandscapeandculturalidentityofEast Asia Hemajoredintheatrestudies(BFA, 2012)inSeoulandsettleddowninEurope, studyingindependenttheatre(MA,2016)in Amsterdam

DiaHakimK (they/them,b2002)isa queer,autisticmultidisciplinaryartistand buddingartcriticengagingprimarilywith performanceandthewrittenwordas material Theirworkisconcernedwiththe intersectionsofMalayqueerness,and excavatingthisexperiencethrougha21st centurylens.Theyarecurrentlybasedin Singapore,withintheMalaypeninsula

the zine author

Photo:BeaBorgers