Seoul Sae-Nam Gut

“Seoul Sae-nam Gut (Important Intangible Cultural Property No. 104, designated in 1996) was performed as the opening ritual for Ghosts, Spies, and Grandmothers. This major shamanistic rite, rooted in the tradition of Jinogi Gut—a ritual to guide the dead to the afterlife—is the largest of its kind in Seoul. It combines elements of Buddhism and royal court culture, resulting in a richly ceremonial and visually elaborate performance.

Seoul Sae-nam Gut follows the religious belief of worshiping ancestors, which is the basic shamanistic idea. At the same time, it is to console the souls of the dead, who are on the waiting list of ancestors. The main feature of this ritual is that several gods enter the ritual so the shaman wears several costumes on top of each layer to realize the idea of plural gods. Each god costume signifies a certain divinity and to wear them at the same time expresses the adjacent state of these divine entities. Furthermore, the artistic feature of Seoul Sae-nam Gut is in the elegant and neat moves(dance) which are choreographed in harmony with the lyrics and tune, shaman song, folk song, rhythm of Tang dynasty music.

The ritual of the opening performance has significant meaning in our context in many ways. First of all, it is to celebrate the commencement of the exhibition and to cleanse any history of agony or tragedy left behind at the site of Seoul Museum of Art, originally used by the Court of Justice and the Supreme Court. At the same time, it is to console the poor souls who have lost their lives due to recent tragic accidents in Korea and to wish for the country to find its stable ground and for the people to regain peace. As Mediacity Seoul 2014 strongly expresses its Asian identity, the Korean traditional ritual would be a special occasion pertinent to the celebration of the opening.

Lee Sang Soon, Bujeonggeori, Sangsanbyul Sangshin Jangyeongsil, Daegamnori, Barigongju, Doryunggeori, Gilgarigi”