Haegum concert for your ears and eyes "Practice - Exercise"

“Exercise, practice, a story for all of us.”

We all live with ‘practicing’. Before an exam, performance, game match, and before starting something new. Also, to be familiar with something, we continue practicing it. Practice makes perfect, it makes us grow and show what we got. Practice also makes us immerse in the whole process of it.

"Practice - Exercise" gives us a glimpse of contemplation on the meaning of ‘practice’ through Haegum performance. Not only the music but also the video on a large screen, sound effects of multi channel speakers, the stage design - all of these elements make us think deeply about what practice means to ourselves.

"Practice - Exercise" is composed of 3 chapters - Measurement, Observation, and Resonance. The Haegum music and various elements harmonize to provide the audience with rich experience for their ears and eyes.

In chapter 1 ‘Measurement’ , you can hear constant hissing steam sound. This sound surrounded the whole stage and audience
during the whole chapter. Personally, I was startled to hear an unexpected sound. But soon I adapted to it, and this sound made me more immersed to the performance. In the measurement phase there were mostly sounds that were rough, and the lights and video effects made it more immersive. Just as we all do, it’s hard to start everything so smooth. We need constant measurement, observation, attempt to get used to something new. The process of practicing leads us to more stable conditions. This chapter makes us think about how we practice things when we start new things.

In chapter 2 ‘Observation’ the sounds become less rough. Smoother sounds fill the stage. The hissing sound from chapter 1 is no longer to be heard, the sounds are calmed down and feels somewhat melancholy. In chaper 1 the video was the main visual effect to catch our sight. Compared to this, the video gives us more hints on how the performer connects herself to her instrument with subtitles and voice guidance in chapter 2. In the ‘Observation’ phase, the lights and sound effects actively highlighted the stage. The atmosphere was elated as the performance continued. Almost before shifting to chapter 3, a rumbling sound filled the space with lights changing continuously. At this moment, the audience seemed to be mesmerized to the performance.

We also have the experience of speeding up during our practicing phase, getting skilled and gradually being faster doing it. Sometimes we get synergy and put more effort in it. We continue to grow by practicing and broaden our boundaries. Similar to the performer with her instrument Haegum, we are also connecting what we do with ourselves everyday.

In the final chapter ‘Resonance’ the rumbling sound continued from chapter 2 until the beginning. Then comes the calmed music. In the ‘Resonance’ phase, you can hear the most smooth and calmed music of all 3 chapters along with the most calming visual effects. The stable atmosphere enables the audience to think deeply about what ‘practice’ means to ourselves. The screen shows a close up video of Haegum’s ponytail. This part of the instrument sways like the wind, sometimes portrayed strainedly, adding tension to the overall stage atmosphere. The close up video mesmerized us with the music.

We can easily discover ourselves being skilled when repeating practice. What does practice give us? A certain feeling comes to mind when we keep going on with persistence. So what does ‘Practice’ mean to you? What do you practice for? If we have time to consider what practice means to us, we will be able to know how our existence means to ourselves and broaden our vision.

So, how about having this experience with "Practice - Exercise"?

Original Korean Article Link

https://post.naver.com/viewer/postView.naver?volumeNo=27421809&memberNo=18719577&navigationType=push