Exploring English as the predominant language of political power, Lolling & Rolling is a powerful one-man show that traces the shadow of linguistic imperialism within Korean society, and questions its impact on the “inaudible voice” of the subaltern. Lolling & Rolling takes as a starting point the phenomenon of tongue-tie surgery, an operation performed in South Korea to pronounce the English-accented “r”. Through a blend of multimedia elements and performance, Jaha Koo unveils a practice which tries to silence minorities and deny their cultural agency. 

Lolling & Rolling is part of Jaha Koo’s Hamartia Trilogy. SIFA 2023 presents two works from this trilogy: Lolling & Rolling and Cuckoo. The far-reaching imperialism of the past and present, and its sometimes-unexpected personal impact, are common threads. Jaha Koo intertwines personal stories with historical, political, and sociological facts, exploring the clash of Eastern and Western culture: from the cutting of tongue belts to succeed in the West, to the heavy personal toll of Western interference in global macroeconomics.