Haribo Kimchi

Jaha Koo / CAMPO

© Jaha Koo

  • Director Jaha Koo
  • Producer CAMPO
  • Genre Theatre
  • Date 10.16.Thu. 8pm 10.18.Sat. 3pm 10.19.Sun. 3pm
  • Language Korean, English
  • Accessibility English & Korean surtitles
  • Conversation with Artists 10.18.SAT.
  • Rating 16 and above
  • Venue SFAC Theater QUAD
  • Duration 70 min.
  • Premiere 2024 Tangente St. Pölten, Austria
  • Tickets 50,000won

 

Where familiar food meets unfamiliar perspectives—a sensorial stage where identity simmers and memory sizzles

Introduction

The surprising flavour of cold seaweed soup, the sharp sound of a knife slicing cucumber, the hiss and sizzle of mushrooms on a scorching fire. With Haribo Kimchi, we find ourselves in a Pojangmacha, a typical late-night snack bar seen on the streets of South Korea. There, we meet three characters—a snail, a gummy bear, and an eel—who take us on a culinary journey, exploring food as a shelter for those estranged from their roots. In a series of intimate and absurd anecdotes, they recount the evolution of kimchi culture, the bitter pain of unadulterated racism, the shame of desperate attempts to blend in with the crowd, and the indescribable umami taste of home.
Following the success of his Hamartia Trilogy (2021), which delved into the far-reaching imperialism in East Asia, South Korean theatre maker and composer Jaha Koo returns with his new creation. His patented hybrid style combines music, video, and robotic performers to craft a reflection on cultural assimilation with all its conflicts and paradoxes. In a gripping performance that plays with all the senses, he serves up personal stories marinated in sweet-and-sour melancholy.

Director
 구자하

Jaha Koo

Jaha Koo (he/him) is a Korean theatre maker, composer, and video artist. His artistic practice moves fluidly between multimedia and performance, incorporating his own music, video, text, and robotic objects. His acclaimed Hamartia Trilogy—Lolling and Rolling (2015), Cuckoo (2017), and The History of Korean Western Theatre (2020)—offers a long-term exploration of East Asia’s political landscape, colonial history, and cultural identity.

The trilogy reflects on structural issues in Korean society and the tragic impact of an inescapable past on contemporary life. His latest work, Haribo Kimchi, premiered in June 2024 at Tangente St. Pölten in Austria, exploring the paradoxes of cultural assimilation and diasporic identity through the sensory medium of food. He is currently developing a new work, Post-K-pop Practice(working title), set to premiere in early 2027.

Producer

CAMPO

CAMPO is a Ghent (Belgium) based arts centre with a diverse programme, ranging from theatre, dance and performance to festivals, neighbourhood kitchens and debates. We create performances which tour internationally, and support artists throughout their artistic process. One could see CAMPO as a toolbox for artists, a house that covers the whole spectrum of performing arts: research & development, production, touring & presentation.

Credits
  • concept, text, direction, music, sound & videoJaha Koo
  • performanceGona, Haribo, Eel, Jaha Koo & two guests
  • scenography, research collaboration & media operationEunkyung Jeong
  • dramaturgy Dries Douibi
  • artistic advicePol Heyvaert
  • technical coordinationKorneel Coessens
  • techniqueBart Huybrechts, Babette Poncelet, Jasse Vergauwe & Tom Daniels
  • English proofreadingJason Wrubell
  • snail animationVincent Lynen
  • Voice of a Korean doctorMyungsun Park
  • production coordinationWim Clapdorp
  • International relationsMarijke Vandersmissen
  • Tour managerLeen de Broe
  • Production supportValentine Galeyn
  • ProductionCAMPO
  • coproductionKunstenfestivaldesarts (Brussels), Rideau de Bruxelles, Theater Utrecht, SPRING festival (Utrecht), Festival d’Automne à Paris, Théâtre de la Bastille (Paris), Tangente St. Pölten – Festival für Gegenwartskultur, &Espoo theatre (Espoo), International Summer Festival Kampnagel (Hamburg), Sophiensaele (Berlin), Meet You Festival (Valladolid), Bunker (Ljubljana), National Theatre and Concert Hall Taipei, The Divine Comedy International Theater Festival / Teatr Łaźnia Nowa (Kraków) & Perpodium
  • with the support of the taxshelter of the Belgian Federal Government via Cronos Invest & the Flemish Government
  • The prototype of the eelwas developed as part of Innovation:Lab's funnel in co-production with Theater Utrecht and creative technologists Adriaan Wormgoor & Willem Vooijs
  • Thanks toGochang Country Office Tourism Industry Division – Ungok Wetland Team, Ahn Seung-hyun (Gochang Cultural Tour Guide), Yoo Sam-gyeong (Director of the Korean Eel Association), Residents of Asan-myeon and Simwon-myeon, Gochang-gun & Katharina Wallisch
Jaha Koo / CAMPO