Kyungwoo Chun's Art & Performance

It was on 22^nd.feb, a Sunday evening and a program called ‘Unknow Ordinary’ at Sunaparanta, Altinho, Goa, was exciting news. It was a performance by South Korean Artist / Photographer, Mr. Kyungwoo Chun.

There were thirty of us and we did not know what to expect or how to perform, except that we would be participating in a performance. We had to sit in two rows of fifteen people in each row. We were not supposed to talk to each other or get acquainted or even to show any expressions. A long table (s) was arranged in the courtyard and various vegetarian Goan delicacies were kept in small dishes in front of each participant. 

Long table laid with food

When the music started, we were told to look at the food in front of us for one minute. At the end of one minute, start feeding the person in front ie. row ‘A’ will be fed by row ‘B’, for ten minutes. As the gong goes on we had to stop feeding. It depends on the person feeding, whether he / she wants to feed with spoon, fork, hand or feed food or water etc. or feed the desert first or last or how much quantity to feed etc. Feeding and eating are done in silence.

To feed the person in front

They changed the plates and the participants moved one seat to the right and started feeding the person in front of them, ie. row ‘A’ fed row ‘B’ for ten minutes.

It is the other person's turn to feed

There seemed to be several layers to the performance according to me.

• ·        The artist gets to watch people doing ordinary things but under the conditions set by him
• ·        He gets to photograph or record the moods and actions of people while performing
• ·        Participants get to experience something new, in this case feed an unknown person
• ·        Each participant will react or respond to the performance unique to himself or herself

 In our culture, we dine with larger numbers of people at a time, be at weddings / festivals / picnics. We feed our children; sometimes feed our elderly, and rarely but not unusual to feed strangers too. We should be grateful if we are fed and should cherish those memories. How about feeding someone and surprise them! It was a fascinating experience nevertheless, to view it from the perspective of a participant in a performance.  

Mr. Kyungwoo Chun, the artist and photographer

After the performance, Mr. Kyungwoo Chun gave a presentation of his work. It was amazing and an impressive body of work. The photographs showed the people in action not so much their feelings while performing.

Cannon ball flowers

Lovely Cannon ball flowers outside Meditation hall, Sivananada Ashram, near Trivandrum, Kerala, India.

Egg curry in Tamarind sauce

This egg curry is from Telangana region, and my mother used to make it often. I don’t claim my recipe is authentic telangana style; the taste is close to it.

When I feel like eating something spicy and tangy, I think of this dish. Let me state in the beginning itself:  this recipe needs practicing. First few times, it will either be too sour, too spicy, too thick, too watery, or even too sweet! Keep adjusting the spices to suit your taste buds.

The curry should be cooked thoroughly; nothing is more awful than raw tasting tamarind. it tastes best with rice.

Ingredients:

Eggs – 3 or 4 nos.

Tamarind –25 gms. Or size of a medium lime

Onions – 3 nos. medium size

Ginger and garlic paste – ½ tsp.

Cloves – 2 nos.

Shahjeera (black cumin seeds or Caraway seeds) – ¼ tsp.

Red chilli powder – ½ tsp.

Haldi (Turmeric powder) – ¼ tsp.

Mint leaves – 2 tbs. full

Jaggery – 1 tsp. full

Coriander powder – 1 tsp.

Oil – 3 tbs.

Salt – 1 tsp. (approxi.)

Method:

• Boil eggs and remove shell. Make thin vertical slits on four sides of the egg.
• Clean and soak tamarind in 1 cup of water. After 10 min. sqeeze out the juice and add another cup of water. Take out the juice and mix both together. Keep it aside.
• Grind onion coarsely and keep aside. Chop mint leaves.
• Heat oil in a pan, add cloves & shahjeera. When they start spluttering, add coarsely ground onion paste and mint leaves. Add ginger garlic paste when onion paste is light brown in colour.
• Add tamarind juice. Mix well and let it cook with a lid on.
• Put turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt.
• Let it cook for 5 min. on slow flame. Drop the boiled eggs, and add coriander powder and crushed jaggery.
• Adjust seasoning as per your liking. Oil starts floating to the top when the curry is done. Take it off the stove.
• Mix it with hot rice and eat.

Patchwork pillow case and cushion cover

Following are a few patchwork cushion covers and a pillow case I had made. Two of the cushion covers are random patch work, done by hand stitching. I found a piece of embroidery from an old garment, and I appliquéd it. There is a base lining material of cotton fabric on to which the patchwork is done.

Patchwork cushion covers

 The pillow case and one of the cushion covers match the patchwork bedspread I made earlier. The pieces are cut to 7” wide and whatever length is available, but not exceeding 7”. After they are stitched together, the width came to 6”. All the pieces are attached into a long strip, making sure no two pieces of the same design and material are next to each other. The strips are next attached together to form the cushion cover / pillow case.

Patchwork pillow case

Patchwork cushion cover

Karela (Bitter Gourd) fry

Karela or Bitter gourd is supposed to have medicinal qualities. As the name suggests, it is bitter. There are any number of recipes which basically try to reduce the bitterness, and add some taste to it. We were made to eat it no matter whether we liked or not. ‘It is good for health, so you must eat’, we were told as kids. After a time, you will get used to it, and eventually try some recipes of your own. Following is one of mine.

What I noticed was that if you cook Karela, the bitterness increases (if that is possible). If you fry it reduces.

Karela (Bitter gourd) fry

Ingredients:

Karela (Bitter gourd) –250 gms.

Red chilli powder – ½ tsp.

Oil – 3 tbs.

Salt – 1tsp. (approxi.)

Method:

Clean and cut karela into thin circles. Add salt and leave it aside for half an hr.

In a frying pan pour the oil and when hot drop the karela pieces. Fry the vegetable until they turn brown. This time round I took them off the stove lightly browned.

Take the pan off the stove, and sprinkle chilli powder on it and mix well.

Karela fried this way, will stay for several days without spoiling.

It can be eaten with rice or as a side dish. It adds zing to your meal.