OKKYUNG LEE (KR, 1975)
Residency period: January-March 2023
During my residency at La Becque, I achieved a sense of calm focus on the work without being chased by deadlines which used to be the case before. Also having Lake Geneva right in front of my door added certain emotional layers to the compositions I began creating. In general I don’t tend to use direct reference in my work but rather bring in the emotional response of spaces and time intertwined with other elements and I would say a few of shorter compositional works and the piece I wrote for Festival Présences in February 2023 in Paris ‘Whistling and Whirling’ definitely reflected the spacial relationship to the residency space. — Okkyung Lee
Okkyung Lee is a cellist, composer and improviser who moves freely between artistic disciplines and contingencies. Since 2000 she has worked in various contexts as a solo artist and collaborator with creators in a wide range of disciplines. A native of South Korea, Lee has taken a broad array of inspirations – including noise, improvisation, jazz, western classical, and her homeland’s traditional and popular music – and used them to forge a highly distinctive approach.
Although she is probably best known for her improvisational work utilizing visceral extended techniques on her instrument, she has been creating various types of compositions and site-specific works, responding to architecture, audience or objects surrounding her, producing an immersive experience that also challenges the built-in hierarchy in traditional concert settings.
Okkyung Lee, La Becque Open Studios, 2023, photo Aurélien Haslebacher