While it’s a huge treat that there’s so much in the way of interesting performances involving UK-based Koreans nowadays, it’s a shame that sometimes they clash with each other. Hyelim Kim’s recent collaboration with Merit Ariane at LSO St Luke’s was something I’d definitely have gone to… if it hadn’t been for Jinyeob Cha’s performance […]
Moon Haewon releases second album
Jazz singer Vocalist Moon released her second album Tenderly last week. Recorded in Japan with an all-Japanese jazz ensemble, it’s very much a sister piece to her superb first album, Kiss Me. This release, available on CD only in Japan and Hong Kong, is another collection of inspired jazz and pop covers. Moon’s seemingly effortless […]
Review: Jinyeob Cha in Bongsu Park’s Dream Ritual
The stage is black, preparing you for sleep; the floor slightly mirrored. The space is empty apart from a curtain of transparent silvery organza fabric whose flowing folds represent the peaks and troughs of a typical sleep brainwave, and between which the dancer will move like a ghost. The dancer enters, pulling a another fabric […]
Nine Confucian academies listed at UNESCO
For visitors to Korea (such as myself) who like to try to get round all the UNESCO-listed world heritage sites, the list just got longer. On Saturday 6 July, the World Heritage Committee included nine Seowon, or Neo-Confucian Academies, in the list. The nine seowon are dotted around the central and southern parts of the […]
Review triple bill: the 2019 Festival of Korean Dance
When Kim Jae-Duk’s Modern Table last performed at The Place, it was to close the 2016 K-Music Festival. This year the eight-strong all-male troupe was selected to open the 2019 Festival of Korean Dance at the same venue. With a piece entitled Sok-do (Velocity) the audience perhaps had a hint of what to expect. And […]
Nayeong Jeong: Repeat after “The End of the World”
Nayeong Jeong celebrated the successful completion of her Slade PhD viva the day before with a performance at the opening of the group exhibition “A Dance of Scales”, at Assembly Point in Peckham. Jeong’s work often involves a performative element, and also often involves the use of clay not only as a creative medium but […]
July events 2019
The highlight of the month is the Dream Ritual performance at the Coronet Theatre. But two musical collaborations could run it close: Hyelim Kim at LSO St Luke’s and SaaWee at Albany Red Room. Continuing this year’s trend, there’s also plenty of K-pop and rock too at various venues – including Idiotape. The KCC’s film […]
Fun and informative: the Purple A x SOKOLLAB K-Beauty x K-pop workshop
Raymond Sweetman, Founder of Purple A, reports from last weekend’s K-Beauty x K-pop workshop It’s always a worry for event organizers that people might not turn up. A second worry is wondering if people will actually like what you are offering. Very happy to report that last Saturday’s workshop held at The Place (home of […]
Concert notes: Byron Wallen, Jihye Kim and Pouya Ehsaei at Redon
It was hard to believe that Byron Wallen, Jihye Kim and Pouya Ehsaei had not performed together as a trio before – there seemed be such respect and understanding between the musicians, as if they were totally familiar with each other’s ways of playing. The three had shared ideas with each other in advance – […]
BKS / Chatham House Korean Ambassadors talk: the podcast
For those, such as myself, who couldn’t make it to the recent talk on the Diplomatic Outlook on the Korean Peninsula, Chatham House has kindly uploaded a recording of the event, which you can find on the Chatham House website and embedded below. The Guardian picked up one of the earlier soundbites in the on-the-record […]
The many ways in which you can support Bongsu Park’s Dream Auction project
OK friends, wherever you are, this is what I want you to do. Any or all of the following: Buy one or more tickets and come along to the Dream Ritual performance at the Coronet Theatre, 3-6 July. Bring a friend. I have so much faith that this is going to be a great experience […]
An introduction to the Love Without Boundaries season of screenings
The KCC have provided the following press release that introduces the second season of screenings this year. The first season this year, Home Truths, was a great selection of movies, and if possible Love without Boundaries is even better: Love Without Boundaries Korean Film Nights continue with a second season for 2019 ‘Love Without Boundaries’ […]
Exhibition visit: Kimsooja at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
LKL had a mini-break in the Derbyshire Dales last week. And, because the Yorkshire Sculpture Park was but an hour’s drive away from where we were staying, we decided to pay a visit to see the installations by Kimsooja. The weather app promised that the rain was likely to hold off for at least half […]
Review – ATEEZ: The Expedition Tour in London
Cast your minds to the 3rd April 2019 and the O2 Forum in Kentish Town. The weather was less than pleasant. It was cold, raining and at some point during the queueing there was hail. Fans known as ‘Atinys’ were eventually let into the venue at 6pm and, despite being at the back of the […]
Former UK Home Secretary to unveil statue commemorating Vietnamese victims
In an article on Politics Home, former UK Home Secretary Jack Straw writes about South Korea’s need to investigate rape and other atrocities inflicted by South Korean soldiers upon women during the Vietnam War. Despite Korea’s history of Japanese military sexual slavery, successive South Korean governments have refused to investigate their own military’s crimes against […]
Brief review: Seong-jin Cho’s Rachmaninov at the Barbican
I can’t help feeling slightly disappointed at Seong-jin Cho’s performance of Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto at the Barbican at the end of March. There was no shortage of virtuoso filligree fingerwork and moments of poetry, but somehow the performance as a whole lacked passion and fire. Perhaps part of the problem was rapport between orchestra […]
Liverpool Biennial seeks emerging Korean curator
An interesting opportunity for an emerging Korean curator to work on the 2020 Liverpool Biennial: Curatorial Fellowship Dates: October 2019 – 2020 Location: Liverpool Hours: 37.5 per week Total fee: £22,000 Application deadline: 1 July 2019 Liverpool Biennial, working in collaboration with Arts Council England and Arts Council Korea, is offering an exciting opportunity for […]