Muljil, is a powerful site-responsive performance by Korea’s Elephants Laugh directed by Jinyeob Lee. The name draws its inspiration from the haenyeo—the iconic sea women of Jeju Island who dive deep without breathing equipment, gathering shellfish while defying physical limits and societal expectations. Each dive represents a moment of mortality: to descend is to face death; to surface is to reaffirm life. This cycle forms the heart of Muljil, a haunting, immersive experience where performers float in glass vessels—part reliquary, part aquarium—while the world’s obsessions play out around them: beauty, procreation, sexuality, labor.

Blending physical theater, contemporary ritual, and participatory practice, Muljil unfolds through site-specific installations and movement sequences charged with emotional and symbolic weight. The performance begins four days before the curtain rises, with workshops inviting local immigrant and refugee communities to contribute their own experiences of struggle, resilience, and joy. These voices are interwoven into the final event, creating a live tapestry of bodies and stories that refuse invisibility. Audiences are not passive observers but active participants, culminating in a shared dance that dissolves barriers and celebrates collective presence.

Since its debut at the Ansan and Seoul Street Arts Festivals in 2018, Muljil has toured globally, earning accolades at Stockton International Riverside Festival (UK), Sziget Festival (Hungary), Opera Estate Festival (Italy), Waves Festival (Denmark), The Performance Arcade (New Zealand), Veranos de la Villa (Spain), WOMADelaide (Australia), and the Festival d’Aurillac (France). As it prepares for a major European tour in 2025, Muljil continues to resonate across borders—reminding us that, though we live like islands, we are immersed in the same ocean.