Stills of performance-based film, Bongsan Talchum (2018)
Filmed in the forests of the Hudson Valley, the film is an adaptation of the traditonal Korean folk dance, Bongsan Talchum, which unfolds as a highly theatrical mask dance. Each performer dons different masks that embody various archetypical characters, such as the courtesan and the monk. In this adaptation, the characters are all female shamans. The movements center on a narrative of solidarity and female divination practices. Audio is recorded on-site and focuses on the vocal chantings of the performers and sounds of the forest. The film concludes with the burning of the masks around a bonfire; this is based on ancestral rituals that expels any lingering spirits, as it is traditionally believed that the masks invite spirits to possess the bodies of the performers.
Filmed in the forests of the Hudson Valley, the film is an adaptation of the traditonal Korean folk dance, Bongsan Talchum, which unfolds as a highly theatrical mask dance. Each performer dons different masks that embody various archetypical characters, such as the courtesan and the monk. In this adaptation, the characters are all female shamans. The movements center on a narrative of solidarity and female divination practices. Audio is recorded on-site and focuses on the vocal chantings of the performers and sounds of the forest. The film concludes with the burning of the masks around a bonfire; this is based on ancestral rituals that expels any lingering spirits, as it is traditionally believed that the masks invite spirits to possess the bodies of the performers.