Theatrical Things You Could Be Doing This Weekend

Happy Chuseok!

May your day be filled with rice cakes and grilled meat.

After the culinary excess of the three day harvest festival why not feed your brain this weekend with two extraordinary theatrical opportunities.

The Fifth Theatre Olympics in Seoul is running at the moment and there are some incredible theatre companies performing.

First off for Beckett fans there's Krapp's Last Tape. Directed and performed by Robert Wilson (Texas' own avant-garde genius) this 60 minute one man show is not to be missed. Wilson hasn't performed for ten years and this is your first chance to see him strut his stuff in Seoul.

The shows are on Friday 24th September at 8.00 pm and Saturday 25th September at 3.00 pm and 8.00 pm. The performance is in English. Tickets range from 20,000 won to 70,000 won, but if you're a foreigner then you get a 20% discount.

Secondly the master of all things butoh, Suzuki Tadashi, will be showing off his greek side with performances of Dionysus. It may be in Japanese, but this hour long physical theatre production should transcend language and take you into the bizarre world of Suzuki.

The shows are on Saturday 25th September at 7.00 pm and Sunday 26th Spetember at 3.00 pm and 7.00 pm. Tickets range from 10,000 won to 30,000 won.

I've already booked my tickets for Beckett and will be trying to get my hands on seats for Dionysus. If you have any interest in the performing arts then I suggest you do the same and enjoy the chance to see some of the best theatre that the world has to offer.

Flea Market Ajosshi

Roll up, roll up ladies and gentlemen, for one afternoon only, Paul Ajosshi will be selling his wares at the Foreigner's Flea Market....

Come along tomorrow between 1.00 pm and 5.00 pm at the Seoul Folk Flea Market and you will find my hairy self, flogging dvds, graphic novels, jigsaw puzzles and a 10 cd audiobook of Tolkien's The Silmarillion.

It should be all sorts of flea market fun...

A Cinematic Chusok Treat

I had the pleasure of attending a special screening of Resilience (나를 닮은 얼굴) this week and I'm pleased to say that those of you who have some free time next Wednesday afternoon can get the opportunity to see a special screening at the Cine Code Sonje Theater in the Art Sonje Center.

Resilience will be shown on Wednesday 22nd September at 2.00 pm. Tickets are 7,000 won and you can get more info by calling 02 730 3200. For directions to the cinema click here.

It's a heartbreaking documentary following an adoptee as he meets his Korean birth mother for the first time in thirty years and as they tried to rebuild their relationship as a family. Well worth a watch.

Resilience has Korean and English subtitles.

A Warm Welcome...

I'm back in Seoul...

Heading to Daehangno for a film screening yesterday, I was delighted to see that The Big Issue has made it to Korea. The vendor was incredibly friendly, in good spirits and welcoming the passers-by of Daehangno with loud shouts of "BIG ISSUE KOREA!"

I used to buy the magazine regularly when I lived in the UK and am glad that The Big Issue is now offering Korean homeless people the opportunity to earn a legitimate income. The magazine is in Korean and my wife confirms that it was an interesting read. It's only 3,000 won with 1,600 won going directly to the vendor.

If you see this guy around then why not take the time to say hello and buy one of his magazines...

Pyramids at the Louvre

The queues were far too long to even think of heading down into the Louvre, but it was interesting to see the pyramids on top...



A rather odd contrast to the palatial surroundings.

Free Korean Screenings!

Starting today (though you will have missed the screening of Eternal Empire by the time you read this) the National Museum of Korea will be screening Korean films related to the Chosun dynasty every Saturday afternoon until October 30th.

There are some interesting movies worth watching including The King and Clown, YMCA Baseball team and Jeonwoochi and it's absolutely free, so if you're in the Yongsan area on a Saturday this autumn then consider popping down here for some entertainment.

Dooman River

Another Korean film release. This time it's 두만강 (Dooman River), a Korean-French co-production directed by Korean-Chinese film-maker Zhang Lu.

It won the special jury prize at this year's Paris Cinema International Film Festival and focuses on the friendship between a Chinese born Korean boy and a North Korean refugee.

It certainly looks interesting and I'll try and seek it out once I get back home.

Poetry and the Maid

It's good to see that Korean films are getting cinema releases in France (plus here in the UK, Bong Joon-ho's Mother has been very well received).

Near the Arc de Triomphe, Le Balzac was showing both Lee Chang-dong's Poetry and Im Sang-soo's The Housemaid. Though I'm not sure what the French will make of Im's attitude towards wine in his film...

Monsieur Paul

Bonjour mes amis. I've just spent a long weekend in gay Paris and over the next few posts I'll be bringing you the highlights of my time in France. There'll be plenty of foiegras, a sneak peek at Napoleon's tomb, a visit to the opera and a trip down into the catacombs of Paris. Plus a few glimpses of the Korean side of Paris along the way...

À bientôt...

Week of Fish Day Seven

Multi-coloured Jellyfish Disco Party











So that's it, my week of fish. If you fancy some face to face time with the denizens of the deep then I'd recommend Busan Aquarium as a good place to spend a few hours. Say hello to the otters for me...

Week of Fish Day Six

There is something so cute about baby Hammerhead Sharks. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for their parents...

Whale

No matter what your feelings may be on the consumption of whale, you'd have to admit it doesn't look very appetizing... Taken near Jagalchi fish market in Busan.