Three talkative rice cookers take you on a journey through the last 20 years of Korean history.

Cuckoo is a bittersweet and humorous dialogue, a documentary of sorts. Artist Jaha Koo sits with his electronic friends, three rice cookers. Together they discuss the catastrophic market crash of 1997 and subsequent national phenomena, including unemployment, depression and suicide amongst young people in Korea. This show combines personal experience with political events and reflections on happiness and economic crises as a matter of life or death.

The subject matter is dark, but there’s rich comedy in the wry observations, personal revelations, and of course in the concept itself. This is an account of deep malaise in which the storytellers show enough wit and creativity to suggest that there is, against the odds, hope for the future.

Cuckoo will be performed at Bridewell Theatre, 14 - 16 September 2023.

Get your tickets: https://www.liftfestival.com/event/%e...

Run time: 55 minutes
Age guidance: 16+
Content warning: contains CCTV footage of suicide

Credits:
Concept, direction, text, music & video – Jaha Koo
Performance – Hana, Duri, Seri & Jaha Koo
Cuckoo hacking – Idella Craddock
Scenography & digital support – Eunkyung Jeong
Dramaturgical advice – Dries Douibi
Technique – Korneel Coessens, Jan Berkmans, Bart Huybrechts (& Wim Clapdorp)
Production – Kunstenwerkplaats Pianofabriek
Executive Producer – CAMPO
Coproduced with Bâtard Festival, supported by CAMPO, STUK, BUDA, DAS, SFAC & Noorderzon/Grand Theatre, with the support of the Flemish Community.

Presented by LIFT as part of LIFT the City. Supported by the City of London Corporation in collaboration with Destination City.