Artfulness, In All Forms

I'm standing at the curb outside the gate next to our apartment block trying to hail a cab, but each one that passes has an occupant.

It's 8:40 a.m. and I'm on my way to the Gwangju Biennale where I've been recruited to interview candidates for two English guide positions. They'll interpret information for visitors to the bi-annual contemporary arts festival which runs September 3rd through November 7th.

I'm getting a bit nervous because while there are many cabs about, they're all full of passengers. Cabs are so cheap in this city, many find it a faster, easier option than a bus. The most we've paid since being here was just under 6,000 won, or about five bucks, and that was for a 25 minute ride.

I see one cab zip by through the Chonnam gates, and the driver must have seen me too because moments later, he comes to a dramatic stop right beside me. A fancy U-turn in rush hour traffic, some racing through back lanes, and I reach my destination at 9 o'clock sharp.

I'm not expected until 9:15 for the interviews which will begin at 9:30. I have no idea what questions I am supposed to ask, nor the exact parameters of the jobs in question, so it's hard to know what qualifications I should be seeking in the candidates. I'm reassured this will all be clear when I meet with Mihee, the Chief of the Exhibition team.

By 9:28, I'm a tad concerned as I still have no guidelines, and can see the candidates queuing up outside the glass doors. My co-interviewer and I are positioned behind massive, formal looking, dark wood desks. The candidates will sit before us, in a most vulnerable position, alone, in a chair that is a couple of inches lower, and much smaller, than ours. It all seems a bit 1984ish.

Suddenly, the doors burst open, and in walks Chief Mihee. She is very friendly, but all business as she delivers a one-minute briefing about the job, the questioning format, and the scoring sheets. And then, in walks the first candidate.

My heart aches for this darling young woman. She's so sweet and sincere, but completely flustered. She apologizes repeatedly for somewhat incoherent answers, and knows all too well that this is not going to end happily. When we finish, she says, "That's it?" She's had all of five minutes to convince us why we should hire her. She will not be alone in this feeling; we have less than an hour-and-a-half to process sixteen people. We interviewers must decide, in seconds, who gets a high-profile, position that is guaranteed to boost their future employment fortunes.

And on it goes. One after another, sincere, hopeful young people, my son, vying for the honour of working long days for little pay. I feel like Old Man Potter in It's a Wonderful Life. Still, my co-interviewer and I agree that it is fairly apparent, even in five minutes, if someone can stand up to the pressure of the position. In the end, we find four very qualified candidates, including a twenty-something gal who spent some time in England, as evidenced by her thick Cockney accent, which, needless to say seems somewhat incongruent with her distinct Korean features. Two are chosen for to be interpreters, and Mihee generously plans to create opportunities for the other two. It's moving to think that with all the pressures she's facing, this busy woman is taking the time to make sure young talent will be presented with chances for development .

The Eighth Gwangju Biennale is a big deal. The theme this year is 10,000 lives. It's "an investigation of the relationships that bind people to images and images to people." Featuring works by more than 100 artists (from 1901 to 2010), it will also include new commissions. The title is borrowed from Maninbo (10,000 Lives), the unfinished 30 volume epic poem by Korean author Ko Un. The artist came up with the idea while imprisoned for his part in the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, or, as it's now termed, "The South Korean Democratic Movement." Maninbo is a compilation of descriptions and portraits of persons Ko Un has met, including historic and literary figures. Needless to say, it's an inspiring concept for the Biennale, which is guaranteed to appeal to a public already sold on this popular event.

By dinner time, Rob and I have both already had rather full days, but when Eric and his wife Heidi invite us for an EMart shop and dinner, we gladly accept. We cab it downtown, and then Eric takes us on a tour of the upscale Shinsaegae mall, near the more pedestrian EMart. Shinsaegae is the oldest department store in the country, having started out as a Japanese store in the 1930s. Shinsaegae houses Dior, Ferragamo, and other brands we'll never see in our closets, and we somehow just know the clerks sense this. Positioned next to their clients, we bring to mind the old Sesame Street song, "One of these things is not like the others, one of these things just doesn't belong..."

At EMart, we pick up plum tea and aloe juice. The aloe is refreshing and mild. The plum tea is a bit of a revelation, for until just today, it is what we had believed to be some type of green apple concoction, served as a soup at the end of our cafeteria meals. Further, that jasmine type cold soup is actually sold commercially as "Nostalgia Drink." When served at meals, it can be drunk from a cup, or taken by spoon from a bowl, as "sujeonggua," which I'd discussed the other day with Hyun Jeong.

We return to the Traditional Korean Porridge Restaurant to share our find with Eric and Heidi.
We split the vegetable cheese, crab, mung bean, and pine nut dishes, and they're all fantastic. The pine nut porridge reminds us of an extra special, super creamy, cream of wheat. We are so full, that by the time we leave, we're ready for our jammies and a pillow.

Eric and Heidi are excellent ambassadors for their country. They're open to new ideas, and respectful of people and their cultures. They're both as pure as fresh-licked, newborn calves, and they're an absolute delight to be around. Throughout this program, Eric has been exceptionally adept at staying his own course, while being friendly with everyone in his sphere. He's a skilled, and natural people-person, and he's absolutely without guile. We're grateful for having had the opportunity to spend an evening with these two.