South Korea
YOCHANKANG
From the moment we were born to the moment we are reading this, we all have lived as beings in a structure. Thrown into the world without a purpose, we either collapse under the oppression of the structure or come back to life by the tolerance of the structure. In the midst of this irony, when an intangible discomfort is detected, we become conscious of the structure from being unconscious of it.
Yes, this is indeed the very point where the movement towards freedom begins.
Structure and Consciousness aims to shed light on the relationship between structure and human beings, and to talk about the new direction we must take in an era where the line between right and wrong has become blurred.
Recognizing the contradiction of the structure to which they belong, humans try to escape, and the motive of escape leads to the dismantling of the structure. Being freed from oppression, humans try to turn the ideal that they have been picturing ever since they first became conscious into reality. However, it seems next to impossible for a being inside the structure to be completely free. Such an aspiration to the ideal leaves another structure with ambiguity unintentionally as a result, and human beings who have been shunned from the new world only confirm their inherent limitations once again.
Then, are the results of becoming conscious for the first time, escaping, and making a new attempt meaningless because they have nothing to do with the original intention? Does the fierce movement in the process lose its value if complete freedom is not obtained? Is it always just the futility of life that remains at the end of an attempt for freedom and its failure?
The work views structure as a complex concept that can be shaped in various forms. In the same context, the work visualizes the structure with various forms of objects and captures the process of how the body and mind of the human inside change. Every day, every moment, we are breaking down a structure of our own to grow.
This story started from the consciousness of one individual, went through a fierce time, and became the story of those who made the work together. Just as an individual's experience becomes everyone's experience, I hope this work can become your story at last.
Written by Changjun Lee, Structure and Consciousness Dramaturgy
YOCHANKANG Yochan Kang constantly asks what an artist must do, and his answer to that question is always flexible or inflexible. In 2014 Yochan started working very actively in Europe. Since then he has been working in Berlin, Milan, Poland and South Korea for the last 7 years. He continues working with his art beyond the limits of culture and country. Yochan was selected as a resident artist at the ‘Vitztok Kunsthaus' in Germany, and completed a trainer's course at ‘Bologna Leggere Strutture’ in Italy. She subsequently graduated from the choreographer course at SEAD Art School in Austria. In 2019, he returned to Korea with The Answer, a Korean invitation of the Seoul Performing Arts Festival (SPAF). In 2020, he directed Home Within Home, which won the grand prize at the Seoul Dance Festival. In 2021, he directed The Table, Straight Line and Curve, The Ball, and Footnote. In 2022, he directed Structure and Consciousness with support from the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture. He also choreographed and directed We Are with the Step-up support from the Korea National Contemporary Dance Company. Through these works, he is creating his own genre.
Director ｜Yochan kang
Producer ｜Chanjun Lee
Stage Manager｜ Seungjae Jung
Lighting Manager｜ Jaeeok Kim
Costume Designer｜ Seokmin Hwang
Visual Art Director｜ Sujin Ok
Cast｜ Jiwook Jung, Jisoo Yang, Sol Jin, Hyekyung Sung, Eunyoung Jung, Seokmin Hwang, Yochan kang
He doesn't put a limit to the movement, ideas, sounds and genre expression while trying not to be bound by any standard. He explores what has happened, what is happening, and what will happen in the future through 'work with a purpose of wider value'. He doesn't mind but rather enjoys the imperfect time and experiences which expose him to special and new opportunities more than spending time in stability and being settled in. He captures and records unfamiliar and unique moments, and continues his work with an artistic calling to replace unfamiliar moments with special times by using his body. He graduated from the choreographer course at SEAD Arts School in Austria, and is currently working as an art director at Art Festival Monthly and an adjunct professor at Hanyang University and Hoseo Arts University.
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