Join us for this Live House Korea screening of Intangible Asset No. 82, followed by a discussion and kuŭm sinawi demonstration by Kim Dong-Won.

The documentary Intangible Asset No. 82 (directed by Emma Franz) tells the story of Australian jazz drummer Simon Barker's artistic and spiritual quest to understand sinawi,a form of Korean folk music derived from ancient shamanic rituals. Barker's journey begins after he hears a recording of Kim Seok-Chul, a shaman, holder of tonghae p'yolsin kut(which, in South Korea, is designated as Intangible Cultural Asset No. 82), and sinawi grandmaster. Barker travels to Korea find and study with the grandmaster. Along the way, he is guided by professor and performer Kim Dong-Won, who helps Barker discover the complex techniques and spiritual roots of traditional Korean music.

Kim Dong-Won is a professor of Korean traditional performing arts at Wonkwang Digital University and a visiting lecturer at the Musik-Akademie of Basel in Switzerland. He is also a practitioner of taepyŏngmu dance and a member of The Silk Road Ensemble (led by cellist Yo-Yo Ma). Kim has performed traditional Korean music with well-known classical and jazz musicians in Europe and the United States. As director of research and education at Samulnori Hanullim from 1994 through 2004, Kim created teaching materials for traditional Korean music and authored the children's book, The Story of Samulnori. 

About Kuŭm Sinawi

Sinawi is a form of Korean folk music originally performed in shaman rituals (kut) in southwestern Korea, especially in Chŏlla province. Sinawi was performed to accompany shaman songs and dances, and is characterized by improvisation, continuous variations, and sorrowful melodies. Kuŭm sinawi is a variation of sinawi that incorporates vocals. In kuŭm sinawi,the vocalist sings the sanawi melody while simultaneously imitating the sound of accompanying instruments, which include the p’iri (bamboo oboe), changgu (hourglass-shaped drum), and taegŭm (bamboo flute).