bones that roam: September 2012

군산시 - Gunsan City

Every weekend the sidewalks in my neighborhood fill with merchants and their wares. Some might call it a farmers' market but it is also a prime place to pawn gold or silver, peer at unrecognizable vegetables and purchase polyester pants. Truly the perfect setting for Sunday ambling. After a full afternoon of ambling, the local waygook (foreigner) crew got together for a picnic in the park.

Living abroad really streamlines the process of becoming friends. Our time together is limited and the environment is so different from home, relationships tend to bypass the awkward pleasantries and go straight to the heart of friendship.

Everyone was bitten by the fire poi bug at Korea Burn. Practice we shall!

Spinning fire twice in one month in Korea!....thank you Universe.

the tide reached the flames

The men were burned, songs were sung, fire was spun, and meals were shared. Gijipo Beach is the perfect locale for a festival with its wide open shore for dancing, and its rolling pine forests for camping.
Due to the unending kindness of the fellow burners, my installation quickly became a collaborative community project. The goal was to create a labyrinth using natural materials in hopes of providing a focused connection to the present moment. Many hands helped move shells, gather limbs, and set the path. The center became a collective mandala of sorts as more people walked the path.
I was also invited to participate the fire performance !!! that culminated in an enormous bonfire. The other spinners are the best performers I've ever seen. It was an honor and all out blast to spin with them.

Miniature soccer anyone?

The bedroom is next to the kitchen.

A wayward sea star in need of hand

Liquid gold

Fire photos provided by B

Chris and Hiromi- Fire eating and fire fingers respectively

Matteh and errmm me

Wild man with a yell wire

The ALL IN performance with the men center stage

The tide reached the flames as the stars grew faint. Some slept, most didn't. Daybreak saw content but weary souls gathering debris from the shore and wrestling tents into impossibly small bags. The intimate and all inclusive community that was created bid farewell to one another and undoubtedly slept like rocks the following night.

korea burn

We survived two typhoons in one week, and now it's time to light some fires. Korea Burn happens this weekend. The festival is a tribute to the annual Burning Man that takes place in Nevada each year and will be held in beautiful Taenan National Park on Gijipo Beach. So looking forward to meeting strange new people, spinning fire, and some long overdue howling at the moon.
Also, I'm one of the featured artists at the festival! Pictures of my installation and the festivities coming soon....

horse ears mountain

Last Sunday, we took a daycation to nearby Maisan mountain in Jinan. The mountain is most often referred as horse ears mountain because of its double peak. Between the peaks lies Tapsa temple and its surrounding towering stone pagodas. The original 108 pagodas were created by Gapryong Lee, a retired scholar, over the course of thirty years. The 80 remaining pagodas are carefully watched by monks and dragonflies.