Seeing beyond the sea: Arts-based research on cross-cultural journeys

Abstract

This study focuses on how two researchers, one Japanese and one Korean, remember, resist and reconstruct the memories of others by employing a cross-cultural approach. The purpose of this study is to examine the intricate interplay of individual cultural experiences and collective memories, grounded in postcolonial theory. The research questions guiding this journey are twofold. How do crosscultural dialogues take shape through a cultural journey guided by direct engagement with historical sites? How does intersubjective understanding emerge between two individuals with different colonizing/colonized experiences as they revisit international conflicts? These questions were explored through arts-based research that involved journeys to walk each other's lands and see the sea. The results of this study exemplify the process of reconstructing and visualizing crosscultural understanding and can be summarized as follows: surfacing one's own perspectives; walking into history; and creating resonant spaces through aesthetic consciousness. This outcome offers implications for utilizing art in cross-cultural learning to foster an awareness of differences.