The Metaverse Mieyeojibaengdwi Project is an online immersive ritual performance being planned and produced by the Jeju traditional arts performance group, Maro.
This is a performance conducted like a game, where the audience downloads a program and steps into the stage of the Metaverse Mieyeojibaengdwi through their PC.
But why did a traditional arts group decide to create a performance in the virtual world?

The land of eighteen thousand gods - Jeju.

We at Maro have consistently created original performances themed around Jeju's mythology for ten years.

As a result, we've naturally come to sense the spirit of the gods in every blade of grass and stone on Jeju.
We have come to cherish the spirit of our ancestors who, despite harsh conditions, sought to coexist with nature by relying on the divine.

However, today's Jeju faces challenges that are far from promising in light of environmental issues.

The highest per capita daily waste output in the nation.

Walking along the beach in Pyeoseon, a small village in eastern Jeju where Maro is located,

the shores are littered with styrofoam buoys, plastic bottles, various plastic bags,

even empty medicine containers and broken syringes,

filling a 20-liter bag in just 10 minutes.

What about the beaches frequented by tourists?

Haenyeo aunts in Gimnyeong heavily sigh, stating that already 30 years ago, marine plants such as seaweed and kelp disappeared, taking sea urchins and abalone with them.

If the contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant flows in, the situation will likely worsen.

The saying, ‘The sea ages faster than the haenyeo,’ becomes a reality we feel.

Is Jeju truly still the land of gods?

With disappearing trees, excavated lands, and polluted seas,

isn’t it possible that the gods are leaving this land one by one?

The number of dangol shimbangs* in each village is actually decreasing every year.

The Mieyeojibaengdwi Project was initiated from such concerns. 

A middle world, neither life nor the afterlife - Mieyeojibaengdwi.

A divine realm we, not spirits, can glimpse, albeit briefly.

A place that exists yet doesn’t exist, mirrored by

our reality's own existing yet non-existent virtual world, thus beginning the Metaverse Mieyeojibaengdwi Project.

Now, we embark on a journey in Mieyeojibaengdwi.

Journeys altered by personal choices. At the end, may the gods remain on this land,

and let's hope our actions are not too late, leading to a better world through performance,

hoping to meet more people in the time-space of Mieyeojibaengdwi through a network of light, sparking greater change.

*Dangol Shimbangs: Traditional shamans that have existed in every village in Jeju for generations. In Jeju, shamanistic rituals (gut) are not for divining fortunes but for comforting the souls of those who met unjust deaths. The shimbang acts as a mediator between the heavens, humans, and the earth, playing a significant role to this day. With a history of over five thousand years, Jeju Gut is considered one of Korea's best-preserved cultural arts, orally passed down by these shimbangs. Their importance has been recognized, designating Jeju Keun Gut and Jeju Chilmeoridang Yeongdeunggut as national intangible cultural heritage.

Metaverse Mieyeojibaengdwi

Selected for the ARKO Long-term Creation Support Project in Performing Arts (2022-2024)

Hosted and Organized by | Maro Corporation www.marojeju.kr @maro_jeju

Sponsored by | Arts Council Korea (ARKO)

Contact | marojeju2005@gmail.com 064-722-0129