Haribo Kimchi

About

The surprising flavour of seaweed soup, the sharp sound of a knife slicing cucumber, the hiss and sizzle of mushrooms on a scorching fire.

In Haribo Kimchi, we find ourselves in a pojangmacha, one of the typical late-night snack bars found on the streets of South Korea. There, we meet three characters—a snail, a gummy bear, and an eel—who take us on a culinary journey, exploring food as shelter for those dislocated from their culture. In a series of intimate, absurdist anecdotes, they recount the evolution of kimchi culture, the bitter pain of unadulterated racism, the shame of trying to blend in and the deep umami taste of home.

After his Hamartia Trilogy (2021), which delved into the far-reaching imperialism in East Asia, South Korean theatre maker and composer Jaha Koo returns with his newest creation. In a hybrid style that combines music, cutting-edge video, and robotic performers, the artist reflects on cultural assimilation with all its conflicts and paradoxes. In an exceptional performance that plays with all the senses, he serves up personal stories marinated in sweet-and-sour melancholy.

Cast

Performance: Gona, Haribo, Eel, Jaha Koo & two guests 

Creatives

Concept, text, direction, music, sound & video: Jaha Koo 
Dramaturgy: Dries Douibi 
Scenography, research collaboration & media operation: Eunkyung Jeong 
Artistic advice: Pol Heyvaert 
Technical coordination: Korneel Coessens 
Technique: Bart Huybrechts, Babette Poncelet & Jasse Vergauwe 
Production coordination: Wim Clapdorp 
English proofreading: Jason Wrubell 
Snail animation: Vincent Lynen 
Production: CAMPO 
Co-production: Kunstenfestivaldesarts (Brussels), Rideau de Bruxelles, Theater Utrecht, SPRING festival (Utrecht), Festival d’Automne à Paris, Théâtre de la Bastille (Paris), Tangente St. Pölten – Festival für Gegenwartskultur, &Espoo theatre (Espoo), International Summer Festival Kampnagel (Hamburg), Sophiensaele (Berlin), Meet You Festival (Valladolid), Bunker (Ljubljana), National Theatre and Concert Hall Taipei, The Divine Comedy International Theater Festival / Teatr Łaźnia Nowa (Kraków) & Perpodium with the support of the taxshelter of the Belgian Federal Government via Cronos Invest & the Flemish Government

The prototype of the eel was developed as part of Innovation:Lab's funnel in co-production with Theater Utrecht and creative technologists Adriaan Wormgoor & Willem Vooijs.
 

Jaha Koo is a South Korean theatre/performance maker, music composer and videographer. His artistic practice oscillates between multimedia and performance, encompassing his own music, video, text, and robotic objects. His Hamartia Trilogy includes Lolling and Rolling (2015), Cuckoo (2017), and The History of Korean Western Theatre (2020). The trilogy represents a long-term exploration of the political landscape, colonial history and cultural identity of East Asia. Thematically, it focuses on structural issues in Korean society and how the inescapable past tragically affects our lives today. His newest creation Haribo Kimchi premiered in June 2024.