Audio, Mixed Media Indoor Installation, at the Iuncheon Women Artists’ Biennale, Korea, 2009
Chang-Jin Lee’s installation, with the interview audio being played from handsets. When visitors picked up the phone handsets, the voices of actual Comfort women survivors played out to them.
“It presented the women as individuals rather than as victims and highlighted the experiences that we all share in order to put these monumental events in context. These are the stories and the voices of the women.” -Chang-Jin Lee.
Here is the Music Player. You need to installl flash player to show this cool thing!
Audio Translations
1. Soonduck Lee & Youngsoo Lee singing “Chun-Hyung” song (two former Korean “comfort women”):
“Look, Chun-Hyung is coming! Look, Chun-Hyung is coming! Wearing dainty socks she is walking slowly. Hey, Let’s see the back of you, Chun-Hyung. Hey, Let’s see the front of you, Chun-Hyung. She is walking with mincing steps. Hu~hu~hu~ Whoopee!”
2. Youngsoo Lee (a former Korean “comfort woman”):
“If I am ever born again I hope to be born as a woman soldier. I want to protect my country, Korea. I would want to be a woman soldier, a woman general.”
3. Chen, Hwa (Taiwanese “comfort woman”):
“(My name is) Chen, Hwa. Well, I thought about studying when I was young. But, my family couldn’t support me. Well, only boys could go to school to get educated.”
4. Mr. Kaneko (a former Japanese Soldier):
“Comfort women had to have sex with 50 or even 100 soldiers a day.”
About Misty Ericson
You documented this story beautifully! I know this is a tale of horror, but somehow you restored these women to their original place of honor with this piece. I felt “the comfort” as I went through it. I know they are pleased:) Thank you for posting this.
Listening to the singing is so unexpected. I am just starting studying about slavery today. This shows me that a life is possible after slavery. But it is so important to bring it all into the light and to legitimize the practices, the suffering and the particularity of each person enslaved. Thank you.
Thank you for documenting this “horror of war”, and with the horror, the courage and life-spirit of the survivors.
Haunting and unimaginable.