Korea | Research on post-pandemic international mobility in the performing arts

Kyu Choi, Artistic Director of Seoul Performing Arts Festival, explores the context and challenges of Next Mobility, a three-year research project from Korea on post-pandemic international mobility in the performing arts.

In the article on the information platform theApro, he raises several questions, such as: how should international mobility, touring, and circulation change in the post-pandemic era and what are the new formats? And what constitutes environmentally aware international mobility that can respond to climate change and the climate crisis?

From classic formats to new mobility

If we define circulation as a process in which an artist creates an artwork and that artwork is presented to the audience as consumers, traditional ways of international distribution would include touring, international co-production, and local production and distribution through licensing. However, there have been changes in the format, characteristics and structure of the international performing arts market since 2000. There are two developments behind these changes. Firstly, the increase in the numbers of artworks coming from each country for international circulation has been accelerating, so has the competition as a consequence. Secondly, the emphasis on the development of local audiences has led to diversifying the way artworks are circulated. It manifested itself in the form of localisation such as international collaboration or international co-production. In addition, with people paying attention to the value of diversity in culture and art, there was a strengthening of exchange and mobility in the form of residency, research, and creative lab. In other words, the mobility of the people and artists behind the artworks have been brought to centre stage rather than the movement of the artworks themselves.

Therefore, international mobility in today’s performing arts sector goes beyond being a simple concept of movement for artwork circulation, and becomes a concept closely related to the sustainability of art. It is a process in which a relationship is established with the local community by the movement of an individual artist, and localisation, which moves ideas, thoughts and values, as the transfer takes place in order to continue cultural diversification. And what is at the heart of sustainability is the movement of artistic values that takes place in the process of experiencing and sharing as well as economic sustainability through income generation.

[…] Read the full article on theApro.

TheApro is the Information Platform of Korean Performing Arts International Exchanges. The research project is jointly developed by KAMS Connection, Performing Arts Market in Seoul and Seoul International Performing Arts Festival, under the Korea Arts Management Service.

Image: Participants in 2021 Next Mobility development and research project. ⓒ KAMS