On March 16, 2005 a professional Narrator Model (Do-umi) welcomed visitors to the opening of the third chapter of Hilchot Schenim - a large contemporary art exhibition in Holon, Israel. Smiling with affected courtesy, she treated her audience to a patriotic Hebrew song of love for the homeland - the listeners' homeland, that is, not her own.
The Narrator Model was imported from a high profile Do-umi agency in Seoul specifically for Romy Achituv's Global Villager project . The work documents the quest for a Do-umi , her training for the role, and her performances in Korea and Israel. Production of the video was "outsourced" to a team of "migrant workers" - non-Israelis hired in Korea to shoot, edit and illustrate the video.
Global Villager offers a reflection on the impact of Globalization on Israeli society as a microcosm of a growing world-wide phenomenon. It addresses questions and issues raised by today's new models of communication and mobility of signifiers and signifieds, of commodities and people. The project speaks to a global culture in thrall to branding and merchandising, where patriotism too may become just another floating signifier to be delivered as a mere commodity by a migrant worker.
Credits
Assistant: KIM Jungyeun
Production support: KIM Youngsuk, YI Jaewook
Camera: HAHN Jury, CHO Yungju, KIM Mee
Video Editing and animation: HAHN Jury
Video processing and additional animation: PARK Juhee
Model: KIM Heesun
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