Composed of Sunggu Hong, So Young Park, June Hwajung, and Lily Kim, the Vienna-based Yi-um Collective is derived from the eponymous Korean word referring to the act of establishing a connection. Yi-um epitomizes its members’ desire to create a space for dialogue, to break down social barriers, and to foster a sense of intercultural understanding through the arts.

Blinking Echoes (2025) evolved from the threads of everyday curiosity, portraying moments of chance encounter and separation in the form of a powerful multi-disciplinary performance. It focuses attention on the theme of interdependence, visualizing the ways in which we influence one another, the substance of the relationships we form, and the forces that give rise to relational complexity and result in us drifting apart over time.

The performance brings to the fore the enduring sense of connection that lingers, even during stark moments of distance. This unseen energy is represented as subtle echoes that blink eternal, operating quietly in the background and manifesting spontaneously as if to motivate us to reflect upon and reinforce the meaningful ties that bind and ultimately define us. In this sense, human relationships are rendered fluid and flexible, existing in a constant state of flux and transformation.

What is remarkable is how these echoes refuse to fade, crafting meeting points in the present with significant others we may have long-forgotten. The performance compels us to resonate with such echoes, navigating moments of desire, vulnerability, and emotional intensity along the way. It also encourages us to scrutinize the norms and power structures that inhabit our intimate worlds, going the extra mile to come to terms with embodied sensations and the traces of warmth and alienation left behind.

To date, Blinking Echoes (2025) has been performed twice, on February 20, 2025 at Belvedere 21, Vienna, curated by Andrea Kopranovic as part of the performance program, Performing a Line, and on November 28, 2025 at the Korea Cultural Center in Vienna.

blinking echoes (2025).