Important Intangible Cultural Property No. 13
So on my lunch hour, I walked toward the Ferry Building and in the little plaza by the funky-assed fountain and I saw a bunch of people with drums in costumes assembling. I grabbed a slice and soda nearby and sat to watch. At precisely 12:30 I heard the drumming begin and two people dressed as black blobby things pantomimed fighting. Or something. This was followed by two people in man-and-woman masks doing a courtship pantomime. And then there were two bad guy with ugly (but human) masks who brandished (wooden) swords at the audience and then at the couple.

Finally I got an explanational brochure and learned that what I was watching was a sort of Korean Commedia dell'Arte, Gwanno Mask Drama. In Korea this is designated "Important Intangible Cultural Property No. 13." Who knew? What a strange thing to walk into without any context. Before I received the brochure I wasn't 100% sure it wasn't a political protest of some sort (although the longer I watched, the more sure I was). I was pleased with myself for correctly suspecting that the display was Korean in origin because the drummers' hats and the man-and-woman characters' robes reminded me of the costumes in Dae Jang Geum (of which I saw three consecutive episodes this week. It's on KMTP 32 at 9pm).

I guess I can understand why it's a protected activity, since even without words or culture-specific references, the "story" was understandable and relate-able-to. Except for the "dancing" black blobs (Jangja Mari, as it turns out) part, the audience knew when to laugh, when to pretend to be scared, etc. I guess like Commedia dell'Arte it draws on certain archetypes--not universal, but frequent?--that are part of the human experience across a low common denominator. I don't know if what I just said makes sense, but my other comment is that I wonder if this particular dance/story was influenced by the spread of the Ramayana, since a main point in the story is the heroine's abduction and subsequent struggle to prove her innocence. After my visit to the Asian Art Museum I wouldn't be surprised--the story did move quite far through Asia.

In other news, I'm a little sad to be leaving this place. It's my third leaving-a-job since January, and the people and working conditions here have been the nicest I've found. Unlike the other two times, this time I'm leaving because I found a new job, and I'm starting in Tuesday. I'll say more after I've signed the HR papers. Scary stuff--this job is part-time and doesn't pay as much. I really will miss this office, which is weird.
- posted by k @ 3:40 PM