Sonic Acts Festival: Saranghwae Fermenting Art Lab

Fermenting Art Lab
Oct 7 – 9 14:00-23:00

Fermenting Art Lab is an experimental mix of exhibition, performance and talk in which we research fermentation as a metaphor to examine both sensible and insensible.

Ranging from beverages to pickled food, fermentation has long been a part of our cooking histories. Fermenting food requires a wide range of elements to be considered: specific substance, temperature, humidity, light, time, etc. It is not only a close examination of such factors but also the chemical reaction – the chemistry between participants, microorganisms, substances, glucose, air, etc. that the Fermenting Art Lab aims to provide.

The conditions and processes of fermentation are revisited to move away from the anthropocentric definition of ‘fermentation’, to reposition ourselves as planetary beings in coexistence and symbiotic relationship with our ecosystem. It is the natural cycle of pollution and purification within fermentation that Saranghwae hopes to grasp through reconceptualizing and reconfiguring the conditions and chemical reactions of fermentation. Unfolding in three sections: What to be Fermented, How to be Fermented and *Fermented*?, the three-day Fermenting Art Lab consists of a performance and an artist talk in which Saranghwae members share their group research work.

– * Fermenting Art Lab is part of Being as Praxis project by Saranghwae. Being as Praxis project started in the summer of 2022 and includes various programs in both Seoul and Amsterdam.
– * Being as Praxis Program in Amsterdam includes: #Production Residency @ Het Hem, Amsterdam

Fermenting Art Lab Program

Performance
Oct 7, Fri 17:30 – 18:30

Saranghwae presents an experimental audiovisual ensemble in which fermentation is being coded through machines, electronic instruments and other non-humans. Through reconfiguring the state of fermentation such as the breakdown of glucose and the absence of air, Saranghwae examines the byproducts of the fermentation as equal agencies to humans. In this 60 min performance, each member fuses the audiovisual sources they have collected for fermentation into a single piece that signalises fermentation as practice for symbiotic relationships.

The Open Lab
Oct 8, Sat 12:00 – 18:00

The Open Lab features fermentation recipes by Saranghwae. Be that physical or virtual, the recipes contain each member’s routines and rituals dispersed in daily lives. You are cordially invited to the creator’s routine in which six working stations contain the fermentation recipe and the substances – scribbles, digital materials, and installation pieces – in the fermenting process. We encourage you to slowly spend your time at the Open Lab pondering upon what gets selected and disposed of through the repetition of routines and rituals presented within the recipe. Pop-up events are planned to take place to shed light on specific moments of the recipe.

Routine and Ritual

| 15:00 | #1 JunSoo’s Dopamine Meditation Session
| 15:20 | #2 Soyoung’s Bio-Mani Pedi Session
| 15:40 | #3 Sunjeong’s Synthesizing Symbiosis Session
| 16:00 | #4 Gyuchul’s Earing Electricity Session
| 16:20 | #5 Mint’s Maggoli Maggoli Session
| 16:40 | #6 Suhun’s Igniting Incenses and Instincts Session

Artist Talk
Oct 9, Sun 14:00 – 14:50

Artist Talk is an overview of the three-day Fermenting Art Lab in which Saranghwae members briefly walk through the Fermenting Art Lab and Being as Praxis project. So what did get fermented? What does it mean to ferment on a planetary scale? How can we sense and situate fermentation as a method to unearth connections and interactions between human and non-human? Saranghwae members will each present their journey of fermentation, expanding the discussion on chemical reactions and connections between both perceivable and non-perceivable beings.

Conversation with Mina from the House of Fermentation
Oct 9, Sun 15:00 – 15:50

Saranghwae visited the House of Fermentation in Amsterdam to unearth the fermentation methods in the Netherlands and to learn how to make Kimchi outside Korea. Continuing the fruitful exchange, Saranghwae will be in conversation with Mina Kim, director of House of Fermentation on fermentation as a lens to look into biodiversity, community building and symbiosis.

Film Production
Director Misho Antaze

Cinematographer
Alex Girav

Graphic Design
WNK

Technical Support
Jesus Canuto

Web Developer
Eurico Sá Fernandes

Photographer
Thomas Siemens

Special Advisor
Mina Kim from House of Fermentation

Sponsored by
Arts Council Korea(ARKO), DutchCulture

Supported by
Sonic Acts, Het Hem, Salwa Foundation