WIND IS THE COSMIC BREATH

It is a fictional narrative video. In the destroyed world where humans are extinct due to viruses, non-human beings who were hiding from people for a long time return to the world. A non-human being heads to an ancient altar to perform a ritual to honour the wind. The Border Control Stones stop the non-human being along the way.

In the year 2224, all humans died of the virus, and only non-human beings survived. The non-humans were born from traditional  Korean stories. They have lived in the area for thousands of years. However, they have been hiding for a long time because people believed that non-humans were spreading plagues and tried to banish them.

In the ruined world where humans no longer exist, a non-human encounters a Border Control Stone. The Border Control Stone blocks strangers from entry and immigration to the area. All human inhabitants are gone, but the stone is still working on its role. The stone restrains the non-human’s entry and interrogates the non-human, like immigration review. The stone asks the non-human who they are, where they come from, and if they want to stay permanently. The non-human being tries to identify itself. After interrogation, the stone let the non-human through the border.

The non-human being crosses the border and goes to an ancient altar to perform a ritual to the wind. In ancient Asia, the wind was believed to be the breath of the cosmos, and the ritual to honour the wind and sky was held. At the ancient altar, many non-human beings gather together and perform a ritual to the wind. The ritual crosses the boundaries between traditional Korean shamanic dance and an ancient ritual format.

The video deals with hatred around my identity. My experience living as a foreigner in Europe, where xenophobia is spreading, influenced my work. The experience of being often a target of Asian Hate in Europe during the COVID-19 period also had an impact. The video features humans, depicted as much more minor beings than nature and non-humans who transcend human finitude. Non-human beings were inspired by creatures found in traditional Korean stories. With the characters, the video asks questions about the standards of natives, strangers, and the border. At the same time, the work deals with the finite time given to humans that is too short to use for hate. It also imagines a transnational world where all beings exist as part of nature.