Park Jiha: “Being able to keep doing something as valuable as music brings an immense sense of meaningfulness to my life”

Listening to the opening notes of Korean instrumentalist Park Jiha’s life-affirming new album, All Living Things, one could be forgiven for thinking they are hearing the quietly persistent first sounds of early spring. Having begun her musical journey in school choirs, Park Jiha was drawn to traditional Korean music before embarking on her own practice, characterised by observation and patience.

All Living Things is Park Jiha’s meditation on life itself. The album unfolds as a visualisation of a life cycle, reflected in the changing seasons and the endless possibilities that wait before life’s inevitable conclusion. It captures in music, feelings that are impossible to describe in words, comfortably embracing nuance, subtlety and uncertainty to create a work that deals in the indescribable wonder of being alive.

Park Jiha has watched her own perception of mortality evolve, as a catalyst for and a result of making this album. “As I’ve gotten older, what used to feel obvious is starting to not be anymore… My parents are getting older. In a way, they’re living the last part of their long journey, and that’s also given me the opportunity to think more about the meaning of life and reflect on it.”

It’s a heart-wrenchingly beautiful album, at once mournful, uplifting and full of a serene sense of gratitude. It’s the sort of music that is so beautiful it hurts, much like loving someone leaves one open and vulnerable to the pain of loss.

Meditation and being present – found through walking, yoga or working out – are things which Park Jiha values highly in her own life, describing her body as “a living plant”. “I get a lot of ideas at that moment when the air circulates in my body and my body is completely relaxed.” In the opening track, ‘First Buds’, one hears the regular ringing of bells; the music itself reminds the listener to return to the present moment.

Breathing and auditory air also have their place in All Living Things. Park Jiha speaks about breath reverentially, saying that it can unstick ideas and energy. Intakes of breath, surrounding the playing of wind instruments, such as the saenghwang (reed mouth organ) and the piri (oboe) are important aspects of this work. “Perhaps because they are sounds that come directly from my body rather than through something like an instrument, they sometimes feel more powerful and singular than the sounds of instruments.”

Making music is something for which Park Jiha feels gratitude. “As I go through my daily life, I encounter so many worries and difficulties, but in the end, when I look at it from a larger perspective, these are all trivial things; life always flows on. Being able to keep doing something as valuable as music brings an immense sense of meaningfulness to my life and helps me keep a constant connection.” This self-sustaining gratitude has led to Park Jiha’s best-realised project yet.