Department stores and other businesses in Korea have a peculiar way of bidding farewell to the customers by playing a little tune a few minutes before closing. This well-established practice –a seemingly friendly reminder to wrap things up and rush to the cash registers– can be tracked down to neighboring Japan, where most stores play "Hotaru no Hikari", a song that was actually introduced by Americans during the Meiji period.
In this public intervention, a repertoire of the melodies we can hear at major department stores in Korea are taken out of this glittery and stylish setting –archetypical of the country’s excessive consuming habits– to be interpreted casually on the street, amidst the hustle and the bustle, in close proximity to the Lotte Department Store, in the Yeongdeungpo district of Seoul.

Music interpreted by Moonyong Kim.

This project is part of Micro City Lab, curated by Somi Sim. https://microcitylab.com/2016/10/09/intervention-projects/