Won Il’s Dionysus Robot

Inspired by Nietzsche’s philosophy of Dionysus and paying homage to media art pioneer Nam June Paik, Dionysus Robot is a bold, interdisciplinary work that fuses traditional Korean and electronic instruments, shamanic vocalisations, kinetic movement, and projected image. This immersive experience unfolds as a contemporary gut—a modern Korean ritual where sound, light, body and technology collide to provoke all five senses. As the title suggests, the piece explores a space where chaos meets control, instinct meets machine, and the sacred meets the synthetic.

At the centre of the performance is drag artist and dancer Jimin Mo, who embodies a modern-day Dionysian high priest, leading the audience through a raw, sensory-driven ritual of liberation and transformation.

• Won Il, former Artistic Director of the National Orchestra of Korea and Music Director for the 2018 Winter Olympics opening and closing ceremonies, is widely acclaimed for his influential albums Asura and Wonderful Days, which have played a key role in shaping Korea’s contemporary music scene rooted in tradition. His work moves fluidly across genres crafting a sonic language that resonates deeply today. In this sense, Dionysus Robot embodies K-Music Festival’s mission: a bold harmony between innovation and tradition.
  

Credits:
Won Il (composer, conductor)

Yoin Cho (gayageum)
Yerim Kim (geomungo)
Somin Park (haegeum)
Kwonsoon Kang (vocals)
Yongeun Park (violin)
Jiyoung Park (cello)
Seonggeun Kim (ajaeng)
Hwiseon Choe (yanggeum)
Insoo Kim, Wonyoung Shin (percussion)
Ahyoung Lee (saenghwang)
Woongwon Han (bass)
Suyu Kim (guitar)
Jimin Mo (dance)