Split into three sections — Washing, Rinsing, and Marinating — The Girl with the Cabbage is a dedication to my maternal lineage. Through this series of solo explorations, I speak to my mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.
Washing (Part 1)
Dedicated to my mother (umma), who washed me in the kitchen sink.
Performed just outside the toilets at The Place, London, UK.
Ingredients used: water, hair, shampoo bar, Napa cabbage, small talk.
I washed my hair in a bucket of water and chatted with whoever walked by.
“Why is there a floating cabbage in your water?” They asked.
“I’m soaking it for my kimchi,” I responded.
Rinsing (Part 2)
Dedicated to my great-grandmother (jungjomo), who rinsed her clothes in the river.
Performed on the stretching deck at The Place, London, UK.
Ingredients used: water, river rocks, “Mother Nature” by IU and Seungwon Kang performed by Sunhi Keller, Napa Cabbage.
The river rocks held memories of my movement as I used them to rinse my clothes.
Marinating (Part 3)
Dedicated to my grandmother (halmoni), for all the stories she fed me.
Performed at the theatre bar in The Place, London, UK.
Ingredients used: garlic, ginger, Korean pear, Napa cabbage, salt, kitchen knife, gochugaru, my halmoni’s stories.
Stationed behind the bar, I made my grandmother’s kimchi and told stories of her colorful life.
