South Korean artist Jaha Koo looks at linguistic imperialism, showing how language can be used as a political weapon and source of power. The show addresses the impact of so-called “tongue-tie surgery,” which for years was a phenomenon in South Korea. The surgery was used to make the muscle supposedly better able to correctly pronounce the “r” sound in English. By scrutinising this practice, the absurdities and the meanings that surround it, the work reveals how the denial and devaluation of a language also instigates the loss of an identity, causing the so-called subalterns to be colonised not only linguistically, but also culturally.

The Hamartia Trilogy

Lolling and Rolling is the first part of Jaha Koo’s Hamartia Trilogy, together with the shows Cuckoo and The History of Korean Western Theatre. The imperialism of the past and present, and its sometimes-unexpected personal impact are the common threads of these three works of documentary theatre presented at MITsp. In Greek, hamartia means “tragic flaw or shortcoming”, a concept that interweaves each of the works differently, which themes involve the clash between Eastern and Western cultures.

Trigger warning: Explicit content and loud music.