Emergence

It’s beginning to be spring though the vernal equinox isn’t until next weekend. With just one week to go, we approach many cusps.

I attended three events last week all dedicated to legacies of cultural heritage in nearby Hwasun county, my field site. This week, I learned about the intangible cultural heritage law of the county as well as another dam that affected the region almost 20 years ago. Tomorrow it’s back into the field for two more interviews and a visit of the Juam Dam and Songgwansa Temple.

I keep getting photos of flowers sent to me by my fellow calligraphy and ink painting pupil! I admire greatly how readily my master can sketch flowers and branches out of thin air as he teaches me the techniques. It vindicates my hours of sketching landscapes, however the “zoom in” to the tree, or the branch is something I think actually makes a lot of sense as far as ink painting as method.

Preparing for all of these interviews feels like an important part of the process - I revise the questions for each interview to fit a little more of what I know distinguishes the person, such as a grandmother, farmer, coalition leader, musician, former high-level governmental officer, etc. I also have my collaborators review the questions.