Cuckoo by Jaha Koo (South Korea)

What can a bunch of talking rice cookers tell us about the past twenty years of Korean history?

One day when his electric rice cooker informed him that his meal was ready, Jaha Koo experienced a deep sense of isolation. ‘Golibmuwon’ (고립무원) is an untranslatable Korean word expressing the feeling of helpless isolation that characterizes the lives of many young people in Korea today. 

At turns sombre and amusing, this poignant one-man (and multiple-rice-cooker) show is Jaha Koo’s bittersweet reflection on the personal and social impact of economic crises that South Korea has weathered in recent decades. Endemic issues such as unemployment, economic inequality, social withdrawal, rising suicide rates, and a fixation on physical appearance, are a few of the symptoms of deep unease that Jaha Koo observes within South Korean society. Cuckoo is a thought-provoking performance that will give you a renewed perspective on the socioeconomic status quo in South Korea.

Cuckoo is part of Jaha Koo’s Hamartia Trilogy. SIFA 2023 presents two works from this trilogy: Lolling and Rolling and Cuckoo. The far-reaching imperialism of the past and present, and its sometimes-unexpected personal impact, are common threads. Jaha Koo intertwines personal stories with historical, political and sociological facts, exploring the clash of Eastern and Western culture: from the cutting of tongue belts to succeed in the West, to the heavy personal toll of Western interference in global macroeconomics.