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Planting (2006)

performance, 20 min.

Planting by Hee-Seung Choi - performance image
Planting by Hee-Seung Choi - performance image

Planting uses certain philosophical underpinnings and reflecting views on the basic nature of the universe that went into the Korean vowel character design.  In the performance, ten vowel characters are used and each character is treated as a scream.  It begins with spoken text in a first person narrative.  The narrator then writes ten vowel characters on separate sheets of paper and buries in separate pots.  Each vowel character starts to sound as it gets buried.  By the last one, as each vowel sound is added one after the other, different vowels are no longer distinguishable.
*The original vowel characters were written with straight lines and circular dots only(circular dots:  heaven; horizontal line:  earth; vertical line:  man).
Spoken Text:    The  living room was filled with plants that had been accumulated over time.  She must really know how to nurture them as she never fails to keep them alive, not to mention how healthy they look.  Having this many, however, doesn't seem to stop her from bringing more home because I noticed a few new additions.  I told her "Mom, it's about time that you stop getting more plants unless it's your plan to turn the house into a botanical garden.  To my comments, she responded: "plants respond to my nurturing affection.  As long as you take good care of them it's most unlikely that they will die on you.  But with you, I'm never sure what to expect..."

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