Project DLiM [Daily Landscape in the Making]
2017 ~ 2018
Collaborative Project
Seoul, Korea X Taipei, Taiwan
Funded by the Toyota Foundation
After taking part in an artist collective Art ZeAn and the project on women, bodies, and social mechanisms, the interest shifted to the contemporary emergence of the "marriage migrant women" population that became prevalent in East Asia. I initiated the cross-national project as a member of Art ZeAn.
Like-minded artists and art administrators in Korea and Taiwan were gathered to explore how art could engage with this topic. We discussed the social issues shared by both countries, which were caused by the rapid economic growth of the late 20th century. They recognized a mutually shared phenomenon: the rapidly increasing migrant population, including both migrant workers and marriage migrants. It became evident that there was a collective awareness of how little was known about these new neighbors. The information available about them primarily came from media or the internet, which often reflected stereotypes and prejudices, presenting a very homogeneous perspective.
Project DLiM, as the title suggests, aimed to re-create the stance of the marriage migrant women in the East Asian society by and re-valorizing their everyday living through different artistic languages. The project was conducted by artists with various specialties. The team was divided into three working units: Workshop Facilitators, Film Mentors, and Art Mentors. Throughout the year, the teams in both Korea and Taiwan applied the same content and structure. However, due to cultural and professional differences, the processes and results varied between the two countries. This led to continuous learning and interaction among facilitator-artists and participants, enriching and enhancing this cross-national alliance.
The project aimed to use art as a shared language, equipping the otherwise-societal-minorities to voice their experiences directly. By creating a platform for dialogue and sharing their stories with the public, the project sought to open new conversations. Conducted over eight months, the series of workshops included film and art workshops, inviting marriage immigrant women and their children to participate. In the final stage, each participant created a short film or video, which was then screened publicly in both Seoul and Taipei to facilitate direct dialogue between them and the audience.
