Yunjin Woo and Jewell Sparks discuss what is legitimate versus illegitimate means of escape.
Yunjin La-mei Woo is a conceptual artist and a cultural-studies researcher who examines what it means to be human or otherwise, especially through the metaphors of contagion. "I Was a Spiritual Medium” addresses that topic of escape from submission. Women want to have control over their lives. Young, powerless princesses grew up in despair, neglected and abused by their own families. Yearning for power and control over their lives, they enter into the world of magic and spirits. Witchcraft promises them with more than what they have—an escape from cruelty or life in a different world. This power to manipulate reality, however, seems to be at odds with finding their true love. Knights in shining armor suddenly arrive and demand the princesses to make an impossible choice between feeling accepted and preserving their only means of control.
Born as the granddaughter of a Korean shaman, her practice is informed by her research on how images of the infectious, non-human, or supernatural intersect with issues of power, gender, class, and ethnicity. Her work encompasses experimental video, performance, sculpture, installation, writing, and participatory projects.
Created & Produced by: Jewell Sparks (Female Filmmakers Film Lab, Startup42 Media, BITHOUSE GROUP / UNITED17 Ventures)
Music by: Sandy Sukrisno (Sparkie Brown Productions)
