Lolling and Rolling

For Lolling and Rolling (2015) Jaha Koo delved into the phenomenon of lingual frenulum surgery, a procedure performed in South Korea to be able to pronounce the English rolling 'r'. In doing so he touched on linguistic imperialism in his native country. In 2021, Koo reworked this performance, because he no longer wanted to just highlight the linguistic aspect - the tip of the iceberg. 

In the live performance he now also investigates the more extensive process that accompanies it which tries to silence the 'subaltern', the minorities. Denying or devaluing a language also instigates the loss of an identity, of a minority, of a population group. In this way they are colonized not only linguistically but also culturally.

Lolling and Rolling is the first part of Jaha Koo's Hamartia Trilogy. Together with Cuckoo and The History of Korean Western Theatre, the trilogy consists of three intelligent documentary theater performances, each telling a story about 'hamartia', Greek for 'tragic mistake'. 

The common thread here is the far-reaching imperialism of the past and present, and its sometimes unexpected personal impact. Jaha Koo always interweaves his personal stories with historical, political and sociological facts. Often themes that involve a clash of Eastern and Western culture: from cutting tongues to make it in the West, to the heavy personal toll of Western interference on a macro-economic level.

English spoken.