(kein) other

synopsis: in korea, a mudang is a woman who serves as an intermediary between humans and the forces of the spiritual world. in order to bring balance to a community or a person out of balance, a mudang initiates a shamanic ritual in which spirits, ancestors or gods integrate into her.

director’s comment: who benefits from a notion of normalcy that places certain people inside and certain people outside of it? how much power does ‘normal’, then, hold? those who are other are their own, free to define and explore for their own sake. with this film, i explore what it means to stay true to a voice that, in its full expression, may only be allowed to exist outside of a constructed ‘normal’.

musical concept: for this film i was inspired by korean traditional music, with the kind assistance and permission of the director sarang myeong. instead of the korean zither geomungo, i used a slightly detuned 5-string bass guitar. tuning the two lower strings to the same note, i recorded myself detuning and then retuning them simultaneously – reflecting the split into two selves of the main character and her journey toward becoming whole.