The sound of silence

Im Seon-bin, a traditional drum maker, demonstrates the drum manufacturing process in his workshop in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province. / Korea Times photos by Choi Won-suk

• Published Jan 14, 2015 6:37 PM KST
• Updated Jan 14, 2015 6:37 PM KST

By Chung Ah-young

He was only 11 years old when he lost his hearing in his right ear after being seriously beaten by his peers, who bullied him for having a limp leg. Then, at 25, he lost most of his hearing in his left ear after using it excessively to tune drums.

Im Seon-bin, a traditional drum or “buk” maker recognized by the government as an intangible cultural treasure, cannot communicate with others without a hearing aid. Yet, unbelievably, he continues to make drums in the traditional way, without hearing sound. Instead, he makes sure that his drums produce the right sounds using his sense of touch.

“I cannot make the right sound while wearing the hearing aid because it distorts the sound. When I make a drum, I take off the hearing aid,” Im told The Korea Times.

“When I beat the drum, I can feel the vibration travel from my fingertips to my heart. Even though I cannot hear the sound through my ear, I can hear it through my heart,” he said.

When he was 11, he and his six sisters and two brothers were separated after his father’s business failed. Born in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, he lived in a slum where dwellers picked rags in Seoul for a living.

He was beaten by others, who mocked his limp leg, which he got from polio after he was born.

One day, he escaped from the slum and met his mentor, Hwang Yong-ok, a drum making master, in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province.

“I just followed him because I was hungry. He offered me meals and shelter. One night, as I was lying under the moonlight, thinking of how much I missed my family, I began to beat my drum, and at that moment, I was seized by the sound of the drum. The sound pulled my heartstrings. Since then, I decided to make drums that can move the soul,” he said.

Making musical masterpieces

Im’s name is widely known for making the nation’s largest traditional drum, installed in the lobby of Anyang City Hall in Gyeonggi Province. Currently living in Anyang, he spent two years and six months to make the drum, which he hoped would promote harmony and development in the region.

The drum measures 220 centimeters high, 820 centimeters wide in the rim and 650 kilograms in weight. It is adorned with “dancheong,” traditional paintwork on wooden structures, in the shape of clouds, dragons, flowers and waves. It symbolizes the importance of the integrity of the city’s governmental officials and the harmony among the city’s residents.

He made various masterpieces that are installed in the presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae, and the Baekdam Temple, and the large dragon-patterned drum that was used at the opening ceremony of the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

He said he loves making “beopgo” (temple drums), among others. “When a Buddhist monk beats a drum, it gives great comforts to the listeners,” he said.

Still struggling

After years of manufacturing drums, he was given the honorable title of Intangible Cultural Property in 1999 by the government. He felt this achievement could wash away his lifetime of woes. But it didn’t.

His voice trembled when he talked about the low recognition people have for artisans like him, as demand for instruments are on the decline these days. Im said people’s perception of his profession hasn’t changed at all, as he had to butcher cows and other animals himself to obtain good quality animal skin for the instruments.

“In the past, this kind of job was regarded as vulgar and lowly because the artisans picked and butchered the cows themselves to get their skin. So people looked down on our job,” he said.

“I don’t think this perception has changed. Nobody wants to learn how to make traditional drums because it’s a hard, manual job and it’s hard to make money from it,” he said.

The pained look in his eyes and the high-pitched tone of his voice revealed how hard his life was, and despite the government’s recognition of his work, he still struggles.

Three years ago, he was forced to close his workshop located at a special venue for intangible cultural heritage in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, because he is not a Bucheon citizen. Today, he makes his drums at a former plant in the industrial area that will be redeveloped in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province.

The workshop has a rusty roof and just a small old-fashioned heater. “I cannot make repairs in the workshop because I am not sure until when I can use it,” he said.

The artisan said many people who have been recognized for their contribution to Korea’s cultural heritage live and work in poor conditions and receive little support from the government. He is required to hold two regular exhibitions a year from the government, but after the exhibitions, he has to tear his drums apart, as he cannot afford to keep all of them in his small workshop.

“My drums are like my children. But I have to destroy them because no person or institution wants to buy or keep them. I can donate my drums to any museum, which can keep them without any conditions,” he said.

Im said these days, most of the drums are made by machines or imported from China at cheaper prices.

“People say keeping the tradition is great. But no one wants to pay for it. The demand for traditional drums is on the decline,” he said.

Traditional drums are often used in school, religious and government events. But people don’t want to buy the drums at proper prices because they are used just once, he said.

Worse, it is becoming more difficult to obtain good quality materials such as high-quality cowhide and wood, which are essential for drum making. The drums make different sounds according to the type of animal skin or wood used, such as pine or Paulownia wood.

“The skin is like the father, while the wood is like the mother. The sound produced between the skin and the wood is like the child,” he said.

Animal skins are vulnerable to deformation by the humidity and temperature. “Dealing with the material is tough every time. However, although the instruments do not last forever, the sound they make is unforgettable,” he said.

Even though his life is still tough for him, Im hopes to restore the ancient drums from the Three Kingdoms to the Joseon Kingdoms. “I have the resources that document the ancient drums. I can restore those traditional instruments. Until the day I die, I want to restore the exceptional drums that show the historical changes in the instruments,” he said.

Types of traditional drums

According to “Korean Musical Instruments” (Hankuk Akki) published in 1981 by the Traditional Musical Research Society, there are some 17 kinds of traditional drums.

“Buk” usually means a shallow barrel-shaped drum with a round, wooden body that is covered on both ends with animal skin. Meanwhile, the “janggo” is an hourglass-shaped drum played with one stick in each hand or with one stick in one hand. It is often used in various folk music genres, such as farmers’ band music, ritual music and folk dance music.

The “soribuk” is a drum used to accompany singers singing “pansori” (traditional narrative songs). It has a barrel-shaped resonator made of pine wood and is played with both an open left hand and a stick. On the other hand, the “beopgo” or temple drum, used in Buddhist ritual ceremonies, has a large size and lavish decorations of dragon and floral patterns.

Who is Im Seon-bin

Im was born in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province in 1949. After his family went bankrupt, he was sent to a slum in Seoul, where earned a living as a rag picker.

He began making drums at 11 after becoming an apprentice of the late traditional drum making master Hwang Yong-ok.

He lost his hearing in his right ear at 11 and then most of his hearing in his left ear at 25.

He became Intangible Cultural Property No. 30 for Gyeonggi Province in October 1999.

He created the drum used at the opening ceremony of the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988 and the largest drum in the nation, installed in Anyang City Hall in Gyeonggi Province.

How to make a drum