Unsplitting – collaboration with Young In Hong

Un-Splitting (2019)

Young In Hong, Stephanie Scheubeck, Fifteen Participants

Location: Lobby and Corridor (1F) at the MMCA, Seoul (KOR)

Schedule:

11/10/2019   5.30 – 6.00 pm

02/11/2019   3 – 3.30 pm

28/11/2019   1 – 1.30 pm

22/02/2020   3pm – 3 30pm

Splitting, in psychology, is a symptom of Borderline Personality Disorder, defined as polarisation of other persons into good and bad by focusing selectively on their positive or negative attributes. Splitting symptoms appear through a tendency of thinking of another person’s disagreeing with oneself as something evil or wrong, thus it functions as a very common ego defence mechanism.

Splitting reminds us of the recently prevailing return to extreme nationalism; where left and right, I and other are constantly divided on the grounds of what separates them.

Un-Splitting intends to undo the tendency of splitting. Here, Un- Splitting addresses the tendency of splitting as a case of exclusivity and extreme objectification towards ‘otherness’ as being rooted in symptoms of illness in society.

Un-Splitting sees history as a subconsciously formed collective memory; a ‘virtual’ state that can be changed or re-interpreted.

For this performance, Young In focused on the female body-pose found in photo archives that reflect the inferiority of women’s labour in domestic space as well as in factoriesand the socially formed conception of young women as being non-political subjects. Participants in the performance pose as subjects from the past found in selected archival photographs of South Korean women. Different female body poses were then combined with patterns from the irregular movement of birds, to develop a unique choreography.

The performance takes place in unannounced spots at the first floor of the MMCA. The physical distance between the performers and the audience will be minimised.

stills and video credits:
Un-Splitting 2019

Project inquiry:
unsplitting@gmail.com