CloudChoir for our Beloved (2020)
Photo: Dongryung Han
Video
Compact cassette, 20 mins, 50 edition
1-ch. video installation, 4:45, HD, sound
CloudChoir for our Beloved is an online performance in which artists of various ethnic backgrounds sing the song 'Marching for our Beloved' together in their own languages, which has become a symbol of the Asian freedom struggle. Composed in 1982 to commemorate the May 18 Democratic Uprising in Gwangju, South Korea, this song was duplicated onto cassette tapes and spread not only to the whole of Korea, but also to Hong Kong, Taiwan, Cambodia, China, and Indonesia throughout the 80s and 90s. During this process, the original lyrics were edited and sung according to the situations of each country’s times, such as the labor movement, forced eviction, and migrant workers. In this project, artists who believe in and support the values of freedom and human rights in Asian countries sing the song, record their actions, and finally release a mixtape. Each participating artist selects their native language or an Asian language representing their ethnicity and sings the song. If there isn’t a translated version of the lyrics in the desired language, artists interpret and translate them. This project allows artists to promote solidarity regardless of language barriers and physical distances.
Contributing artists
Amy M. Ho
Becca Choi
Clara Gari
Elica Masuya
Eno lee
Lijung Choi
Mati Pirsztuk
Yuyen Lin-Woywod
Zada
Narration: Mapuana Makia
Design: Humo Estudio
Directed and produced by Jane Hwang
Supported by Interflugs
雲唱團(운창단)/CloudChoir for our Beloved는 다양한 국적의 예술가들이 함께 모여 아시아 국가들의 자유 투쟁의 상징이 된 노래 ‘임을 위한 행진곡’을 합창하는 온라인 퍼포먼스이다. 이 프로젝트는 아시아의 자유와 인권을 지지하는 각국의 예술가들이 모여서 언어와 거리를 뛰어넘는 연대를 도모하기 위해 기획되었다. 참여 예술가들은 각자의 모국어 또는 본인의 민족성을 대변하는 아시아 언어로 ‘임을 위한 행진곡’을 부르고, 이를 직접 오디오 또는 비디오로 촬영하였고, 이는 영상설치와 컴팩트 카세트 형태로 제작되었다.