South Koreans compete to determine who is the greatest at doing nothing at all.
Photo Credit (Freepik)
In a Seoul event that combines elements of art, physical challenge, and a break from South Korea’s fiercely competitive culture, over 100 individuals gathered silently on yoga mats over the weekend to do nothing at all.
Whoever can zonk out for ninety minutes without falling asleep, checking their phone, or chatting is the winner of the annual SpaceOut tournament, which takes place on Sunday.
As spectators cast their votes for their top ten contenders, the heart rates of the participants are tracked. The prize goes to the person with the highest consistent heart rate out of the ten.
Kwak Yoon-gy, a speed skater and two-time Olympic silver medalist, was one of the participants.
“I have never taken a proper rest while training for 30 years, despite trying out for the Olympics five times,” the 34-year-old short-track specialist, who finished third, said.
“I came here thinking, ‘Wow, this is what I needed so much,’ because I heard that this place is where I can rest and clear my mind at least during this time.”
The local administration hosted the competition, which attracted over 4,000 applications. A toddler in the second grade and adults in their 60s were among the 117 contestants chosen.
In a nation with high levels of academic stress and intense pressure to perform, it served as a means for many individuals to recuperate from burnout and stress, frequently related to their jobs.
“I applied [to participate] because I thought it would be nice to blow away such stress and worries by spacing out in the competition,” said YouTuber Kim Seok-hwan, 26. “Normally, I had a lot of worries and stress.”
The Space-Out competition is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. It was started by a visual artist who goes by the alias Woopsyang after she experienced extreme burnout.
She said, “I wondered why I was so anxious about doing nothing,” and she said that’s when she understood her anxiety was caused by comparing herself to other active people.
“Those people might also be wishing to do nothing, just like me,” Woopsyang stated. “Thinking that it would be nice to pause all together at the same place at the same time, I created a competition.”
According to her, competitive idling “turns it into a valuable activity and overturns the social convention that spacing out is a waste of time in today’s busy society.”
“This contest tells you that taking a break is something you truly need, not just a waste of time.”
According to her, the competition is also performance art.
“The audience is always moving around the competition venue, even though the contestants are staying still,” Woopsyang stated, adding that her objective was to “create a visual contrast between a group that does nothing and a group that is busy.”
Contests have been hosted in cities including Beijing, Rotterdam, Taipei, Hong Kong, and Tokyo since the inaugural Space-Out competition was held in Seoul in 2014.
Kwon So-a, a freelance announcer who works numerous jobs, won this year’s competition in Seoul and took home a trophy shaped like the artwork “The Thinker” by Auguste Rodin.
“It’s very competitive here in Korea, especially, and people think they’re falling behind if they don’t do anything,” Kwon, 35, stated. “I believe that everyone needs to go at their own speed and occasionally just slow down.”
“Your body needs to relax, but your body can only relax when your brain relaxes,” she continued, adding that doing nothing is “good for your mental health as well as your physical health.”
“People should space out for these two reasons.”
