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The “Silent Olympics” in Seoul is a motionless competition that challenges Korean frenzy through mental and physical relaxation.
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It is a physical and mental competition and is based on stopping, detoxifying from stress.
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The resulting image is in stark contrast to what we are used to seeing: the contestants are motionless, the audience is in motion…
Ioverheard the news a few days ago on the radio. I made a quick note in the iPhone notes to remind myself to look up more information about it. Competition in Korea where the one who does nothing wins. Some have called them the “Silent Olympics,” and, as they have every year since 2014, they have just taken place in Seoul as part of Ichon Hangang Park. About a hundred people among more than 4,000 aspiring participants of all ages and walks of life challenged each other by standing still, motionless, sitting on yoga mats for an hour and a half. In a society as hyperdynamic, chaotic, and multitasking as South Korea’s is, where work is considered sacred, managing to stay idle is quite a feat.
Compete by loafing
Some may judge it a meaningless challenge. Yet it makes sense, even more than one in fact. Contrary to what it might appear, this is a physical challenge: accustomed to living at a hectic pace, in a society that does not conceive of slow rhythms, the real difficulty becomes to stop and start considering this time not as lost but as a real need. Doing absolutely nothing, in a sense, forces your body to relax. But the body relaxes only when your mind is also relaxed in turn. Thus, by the transitive property, doing nothing is good for both mental and physical health.
For many participants, it was a way to detoxify from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and work stress. During the 90 minutes, smartphone use is prohibited: zero phone calls, whatsapps, emails, notifications. It switches to “airplane mode.” Participants are constantly monitored for heart rate, and at the end, whoever is found to have the most stable heart rate will be declared the winner, taking home a golden statuette depicting “The Thinker,” the famous sculpture by French artist Auguste Rodin.
Visual contrast
In a setting where competitors are standing still on their mats within a confined space, all around is an audience that is in constant motion. This stark visual contrast that is created is the work of artist WoopsYang, who is also the creator of this competition that has spread beyond national borders to being played in cities such as Beijing, Rotterdam, Taipei, Hong Kong and Tokyo. What if it comes to Italy as well? Would you participate?