Deep-rooted

1. The foundation of the idea, '정(正)' (Jeong)

'정(正)' (Jeong) stemmed from an attempt to understand the attributes of 'tradition' in contemporary terms. 'Jeong' is a term particularly relevant within traditional Korean arts, especially within the context of Jeongak, which is a genre of Korean classical music. The initial focus on this word was driven by the fact that Jeongak, within traditional Korean arts, represents a music genre characterized by both its hierarchical nature and its long-standing history, with its roots in shijo, a form of Korean poetry. When categorized into subgenres, folk music, minyo (folk songs), pansori (narrative singing), and traditional plays like "samulnori" has more autonomy in their forms as their popular elements strengthen. However, art forms that were cultivated within specific social strata, such as the aristocracy and royalty, adhere to more stringent standards. 

Also, I found it intriguing to explore how the notion of 'tradition' has evolved over time, particularly within Korean traditional arts. It became evident through interviews and historical research that the term 'tradition' as understood by Koreans today has a relatively short history. The term began to gain prominence after Korea's liberation and underwent research by experts from various fields, including folklore scholars, historians, Korean studies scholars, and literature scholars. It was a process of gathering and reassembling fragments of tradition scattered across various sources. The selection of what is now considered 'tradition' was likely based on materials collected during this period. For example, the dance form Cheoyongmu was revived through the documentation found in historical records. Therefore, the historical construction of the concept of 'tradition' and its subsequent transmission is a relatively recent phenomenon. It can be seen as an attempt to establish the foundation for symbolic arts that would represent Korea's national identity in the face of challenges such as Japanese colonialism and the introduction of Western modern culture after the Korean War.

The Chinese character of 'Jeong' itself can provide insight into the overall image of the project. '바를 정' (Straight Jeong) corresponds to the first word in '정악(正樂)' (Jeongak), which means 'righteous music' or 'correct music.' When analyzing the radicals of the character '정,' it is composed of the strokes ㅡ, 上, 下, and 止. When considering its pronunciation and meaning, '정' is associated with clarity, purity, and righteousness. The character can be interpreted in various ways depending on the combination of its meanings. For example, ㅡ could represent the sky or the path, while 止 symbolizes stopping or halting. It can be understood as 'stopping under the sky' or 'not crossing boundaries.' Alternatively, when considering the path instead of the sky, it can represent feet that stop on a predetermined path. In any interpretation, '정악' (Jeongak) and, more broadly, traditional arts encompass these qualities. It conveys an image of someone contemplating the direction while staying within certain limits—a person who doesn't cross limits but instead reflects on where to go on the predetermined path.

2. Promotion

Promotion was a significant challenge in this project. First and foremost, the traditional arts community faced difficulties in making public statements, primarily due to the fear that speaking out might lead to social repercussions. The authority of those who uphold the traditions is formidable, so for those in the early stages or those who still have connections within the community, making a public statement may not be a viable option. 

Promoting the collection of interviews about customary practices within the traditional arts community was challenging if the complete anonymity for both the promoters and the interviewees were not guaranteed. To address this, I used a temporary pseudonym, "뿌리 깊은" (Deep-rooted), covering both my real name and the project's name. All communication was restricted to email exchanges to maintain anonymity. Thus, all arrangements and updates were conducted solely via email, without the use of messenger apps or phone calls. Despite these conditions, those who reached out were individuals of great significance, and they also demonstrated a strong determination to resist the adverse conditions they were facing.

The promotion efforts primarily targeted universities in Seoul area that had departments related to traditional arts, such as Oriental painting, Korean music, traditional theater, and Korean dance. Officially, I was supposed to visit these universities' administrative offices to obtain approval for distributing promotional materials, but based on advice from local traditional artists, it became clear that this approach was "entirely impossible." Therefore, I engaged in unauthorized guerrilla distribution of promotional materials in university buildings during early mornings, evenings, and weekends. These actions were risky, as janitorial staff often removed the materials. One relatively secure location was the bathroom stalls since they were temporary private spaces visited by numerous people. With the hope that determined individuals would notice and contact me, I spent one month in September visiting eight universities in the Seoul area, attaching recruitment posters.

While email responses did come in after posting recruitment materials, maintaining ongoing contact proved difficult. The nature of email communication, where messages are not checked as frequently as messenger apps, posed a challenge, leading to many potential interviewees going uncontacted. Only a small fraction of the individuals were able to maintain continuous correspondence. From September to November 15, a total of six interviews were conducted.

3. Interviewees 

1) The first interviewee - Gugak 

I had promised a follow-up meeting with the first interviewee. It was because the initial interview had faced some difficulties due to various issues. We had planned to meet inside the university he attends, but instead of a completely sealed room, the interview took place in a practice room. This resulted in a lot of background noise, and the interviewee was quite anxious because it wasn't soundproof, and was worried that the conversation might leak out inadvertently. 

Initially, I had the intention of discussing many things, but once we sat down, turned on the recorder, and began the interview, the person became very concerned about the potential repercussions of the stories going public. So, I continued to request interviews in an off-the-record state, and eventually, we turned off the recorder and only listened to the  stories. Afterward, we had some time to discuss the guidelines for the interview, and as a result, we were able to establish the following format.

Guidelines for the "Deep-rooted" Project

When participating in an interview for the "Deep-rooted" project, please keep the following considerations in mind:

1. The project organizer will protect the interviewee's identity and will not disclose their personal information to the public. The interviewee's personal information will only be collected and stored by the organizer for the academic accuracy of the project.

2. While the interviewee's identity will not be directly revealed in the interview results, individuals mentioned in the interviews or related to the events may indirectly suspect the interviewee based on the context. To prevent this, part of the exhibition format will involve simultaneous playback of voices from numerous interviewees who remain anonymous. This multi-speaker setup will disperse the focus if someone associated with the events visits the exhibition, making it difficult to pinpoint any specific individual within the context of the stories.

3. Not only will the interviewee's identity remain anonymous, but also the characters mentioned within their episodes will be anonymized. However, instead of the project organizer artificially removing audio content (unless necessary due to accidental inclusion), it is encouraged that the interviewee use pseudonyms for the characters rather than mentioning their real names. This approach allows for a more detailed portrayal of the interviewee's situation within the episodes, and the anonymity of characters aims to enhance the project's focus on understanding and improving the current state of traditional art and to protect the identity of the interviewee.

4. For those requesting stronger anonymity, voice modification will be provided.

5. During the interviews for the project, interviewees are obliged to present accurate and scholarly information about the events they have experienced or heard. Please refrain from spreading baseless rumors. The goal is to create a platform for empathy with the audience through refined and accurate content.

2) The second interviewee - Gugak

The second interviewee happened to be the youngest among all the interviewees. The person held high expectations for the purpose of the interview and the ripple effects and improvements within the traditional Korean music community due to the exhibition. Their interview primarily focused on the exploitation of student labor within universities, mainly by professors, and instances of sexual harassment among students, along with the cases of covering up such incidents. This interview case highlighted the differences in perspectives and experiences across generations, as they exhibited a stronger inclination towards resistance even if there were pressures or limitations in place, in contrast to interviewees in their 30s. The second interviewee expanded the direction and anticipated outcomes of the interviews, shedding light on changes in traditional practices driven by generational differences in values. Following this interview, the target demographic for interviewees was expanded to include individuals who started their journey in their teens.

3) The third interviewee - Contemporary dance

While the interviews were initially limited to individuals within the realm of traditional arts, interviews were also conducted with contemporary artists who utilized elements of traditional arts in their work. These contemporary artists had, like their traditional counterparts, started their journeys and education within the Korean society, so their experiences were not vastly different from what had been heard from previous interviewees. For example, issues such as the exploitation of students by mentors were not unique. 

Through these interviews, it was learned that those with a wider geographical reach for their artistic activities did not find it particularly difficult to "speak out" about specific incidents compared to the traditional field. On the other hand, those whose activities were confined to a narrow sphere tended to either stop speaking out over time or 'adapt' to the conventions and the series of incidents influenced by them. This pattern was observed among individuals who had been in the field for an extended period, and this insight was consolidated through subsequent interviews with other participants.

4) The fourth interviewee - Gugak

Balancing the inclusion of an individual's personal experiences in the narrative while avoiding any potential risk of it being perceived as an accusation posed a significant challenge during the interviews. It was essential to ensure that the essence of the field was not lost when sharing these stories. However, some interviewees were hesitant even to reveal these elements. Thus, in some cases, the approach was more passive, leaving it to the interviewee's autonomy regarding how much of their personal information would be included.

As more information accumulated, it became evident that certain characteristics of the field needed to be mentioned to understand the network within the organizations to which the interviewees belonged. Additionally, the intensity of the episodes on-the-record and off-the-record varied significantly. Initially, there was an intention to reveal the voices of hesitation that emerged as interviewee anonymized the names of individuals involved in coercive or unfair actions during the self-censorship process. However, this approach unintentionally led him/her to "organize" the events too thoroughly in their narratives. Eventually, it became clear that contrary to the original intention, it made the interviewee to control their emotions, self-regulate, and simplify their stories. This resulted in the stories being sanitized and neatly wrapped up. The uniqueness of the fourth interviewee became apparent in the second transmission, as we had a prior meeting that set them apart from the other five interviewees.

5) The fifth interviewee - Korean dance(transmission)

The fifth interviewee was a Korean dancer in their 30s with an extensive resume of performances. The person calmly shared a variety of episodes from their career. Having experienced a series of recurring challenges, the person seemed to have reached a point where they accepted everything with composure. Instead of delving into the past experiences, the person appeared to regard these challenges as a natural part of their profession. At this stage, the person seemed focused on accumulating experience and concentrating on building their career within the existing boundaries, without pushing beyond their current limits.

6) The sixth interviewee - Korean dance(creative)

The sixth interviewee, also in their 30s, was a Korean dancer specializing in creative Korean dance rather than traditional transmission. The person discussed the differences and similarities between dance as a form of transmission and dance as a creative art form. They explained the extent to which traditional dance could be considered as a form of transmission, highlighting the potential for changes in the format that reflect the spirit of the times, essentially serving as an alternative in reality. However, in their narrative, these changes appeared to be somewhat limited. For instance, the only noticeable difference was making the color of the costumes different worn during the dance. This issue was related to the cultural heritage system within the traditional arts community, suggesting that these changes were more about sustaining livelihoods rather than preserving lineages.

7) 어떤 전통예술 관련 잡지 기자와의 메일 

인터뷰이를 처음에는 10~30대로 한계지었다가 40대층까지 폭을 확장하였는데 이는 한 국악 관련 잡지 매체의 기사 글을 접하면서부터였다. 프로젝트를 실행하기로 한 불과 며칠 뒤 그 매체에서 국악계 내 성폭  사태를 설문 수집하여 10가지 유형으로 분석해 기사를 내놓았다. 글을 쓴 기자님과 메일을 주고 받았고 그간 써놓았던 기획제안서를 첨부해 보내드렸다. 그는 40대의 중년이었고 자신이 이 프로젝트에 어울리는 연령대인지는 잘 모르겠지만 인터뷰에 응할 수 있다는 답변을 주었다. 차후 프로젝트 진행에 그를 자문 혹은 인터뷰이로서 함께 할 기회가 있을지도 모르겠다. 

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