Title: “Limited Words and Capture of the Toilet: Busan ver.”
Medium: video (single channel: 20min 05sec)
Year: 2011
Only the part that I remember and understand contains Japanese subtitles, and in the part where I do not understand, a suitable picture etc. enter as subtitles.
This is a documentary account that follows the process through which the artist succeeds to clean toilet in a foreign city. The artist is allowed to use only limited number of words (he does not understand the language anyway), such as “May I clean the toilet?” and “It’s Free.” The project seeks to show the person who challenges the language barrier in communication. Since the artist understands only a few words, his challenge fails almost all the time. However, by using odd topic for conversation, the artist’s attempt succeeds to capture a mode of communication, which cannot be seen otherwise. Although linguistic ability of humans made us capable of conducting complicated modes of communication, It does not necessarily mean that we are capable of understanding each other better than any other animals. In order to maximizing the ability of humans, we may need to update our way of handling the words or our mode of understanding. If the artist’s failure to clean the toilet is due to his inability to use language, what would have made it possible for him to clean one in the end? The work seeks to reveal some sorts of non-verbal communication, which often appear in our communication, and helps us to be connected in one way or another by going beyond the linguistic, cultural, and/or historic barriers in-between us.