Jeamin Cha

Twelve
Three channel video installation, 2016, HD video, 33minutes, color/sound

The Minimum Wage Commission in Korea is an entity that negotiates and decides the next year’s minimum wage. Established in 1978, the Commission’s meetings have been held behind closed doors. Thus, we can only assume and imagine the Commission’s discussions in 2015 to find out how the 2016 minimum wage was decided. That is, in order to understand a decision about the present living condition, we have to look back on the past meetings where the future (current) wage was negotiated. The video work Twelve is an imaginative recollection of the Commission’s discussions on the 2015 minimum wage, based on various documents that are accessible. Twelve characters reenact twelve imaginative meetings. In addition, fragmented images of streamlined and sequentially operating machine movements are interjected between the meeting scenes. The work emphasizes the fact that official discussions that have societal impacts are gradually held more and more in a private and closed-door space. It also questions what the future of our nation and democracy should look like.

A Film by
Jeamin Cha

Cast
Employer Commissioners
Dongmin Kim - Sihyun Cho
Eunju Kim - Sookhee Song
Junyeong Park - Sungdae Yoon
Daemyeong Kim - Donghoon Lee

Public Interests Commissioners
Chairman Junseong Oh - Changwan Park
Jangwon Kim - Hyunkwang Jin
Gyeonghui Kim - Jihyun Jung
Minsuk Yoon - Hyeyoung Kim

Worker Councilors
Namjin Lee - Yohan Choi
Jinsuk Park - Anyoung Shin
Jongchan Ha - Jongsup Hwang
Jeongsu Lee - Sangjin Baik

Secretary General - Myungkyo Hong

Directors of Photography
“Minimum Wage Council” Youngjik Cho, Seong il Lee, Younghyun Kim
“Pill Dispenser” and D.I Gook Hyun Kang
Assistant director Seung Namgung
Sound Design Morceau. J. Woo
Music Minwhee Lee
Audio Engineer Hyungjun Choi
Data manager Seung Namgung
Assistants Minsoo Thigpen, Sin Young Lee
Translation Namhee Cho
Proofreading Anastasia Traynin

Filming cooperation
Seoul Museum of Art, UBcare

With Special Thanks to
Eve Kwak, Jineok Kim, Dongseok Shin, Namshin Lee, Jaeim Lee, Hyejin Jang, Jaehoon Jung, Hyein Choi

Commissioned by
SeMA Biennale Mediacity Seoul 2016