Residency week 36 – 44 / 2024

Oh-Kyung Jang is an interdisciplinary artist with a background in dance, and will be in Trondheim for several weeks this autumn in connection with our interdisciplinary residency collaboration with Lademoen Kunstnerverksteder (LKV).

She works with the project Yearning to be Unborn – a project that explores somatic identity through the lens of Gilles Deleuze’s concept of “becoming”. The project began with a deep psychological urge for regression to an embryonic state, seeking safety and a sense of belonging. This regression represents a journey backward in time, an attempt to inhabit the moment of existence before formation. By treading the boundary between being ‘born’ and ‘unborn,’ the project probes the potentiality of what is yet to come, the unrealized possibilities of existence. This desire to return is interpreted as a manifestation of vulnerability and a yearning to escape the constraints imposed by one’s current identity.

Amid the many layers of identity, this project focuses on somatic identity, explored through movement and tactile, kinesthetic experiences. A ‘prolonged movement’ approach is used to investigate this concept. By performing movements over extended periods, the sense of time becomes stretched, allowing participants to reconnect with their physical bodies on a deeper level.

As the project emphasizes the **felt experience** of the body, it combines both workshops and performance into a single, cohesive practice. This structure is designed to facilitate both the intellectual and physical exploration of identity, making the experience as immersive as it is reflective.

Bio

Oh-Kyung Jang is an interdisciplinary artist with a background in dance, whose work explores the theme of identity through the lens of lived experience and its influence on perception. She holds a degree in Dance and Music from The New School in New York, and her practice spans a range of mediums including dance, voice, improvisation, and installation. Currently based in Busan, Korea, Jang’s projects are deeply reflective of her social and cultural environment, blending personal narrative with broader societal commentary. 

https://www.ohkyungjang.com

Supported by

LKV and DansiT.