Edition “mit mir” (Gong-Gi Pebble Game) (2024)
Wooden box (9 x 9 x 5 cm), 5 cloth pebbles (with old handkerchief and small stones), tutorial text on paper with a small drawing (German), USB stick for a tutorial video (00:03:21, 2024), 2024
Edition 10 + 5 AP
Solo show “Niemand da - 7 Performances an 7 Tagen”, basis Frankfurt _ Projektraum, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
This game of skill, which was originally played with a few small animal bones, has been played in many variations all over the world for thousands of years. For this edition with the rules from my childhood in South Korea, I have sewn tiny pebbles into strips of old handkerchiefs.
"Gong-Gi has five levels. Once you have completed the first four levels, the last level is the scoring game "Gok-Ki".
The edition "mit mir (Gong-Gi Pebble Game)" comes from my performance "mit mir" (EN: with me), 2023. The edition consists of 5 old cloth pebbles, a game instruction and a USB stick with a tutorial video "mit mir”.
Description of the performance “mit mir” (EN: with me)
The work “mit mir” (EN: with me)is a performance based on the Korean folk game “Gong-Gi Game”. (Gong-Gi Game: throw several stones on the ground, then throw one stone upwards, pick up the remaining stones and catch them before they fall. The game has several levels.) There are similar games all over the world, e.g. "Knuclebones" in Europe/USA, "Kugellach" in Israel, "Gutte" in India and "Cinco Marias" in Brazil. (The game has largely disappeared, however).
The audience is confronted with a solo performer sitting still on the floor in a large exhibition space. The acrobatic nature of the game and the tension associated with it keeps the performer focused on the game for several minutes. The solo performance creates a contradictory situation in which loneliness and comfort coexist.
Credits:
Concept by Hyunju Oh
Performer: Hyunju Oh with audiences
Documentation:
Nazanin Hafez, Hyeonyoung Lee, Giuseppe Scarangelli