AliceOnPaperVol3 by yoona sun

2009 MAY / VOL.3

HOW CHILDREN LIVE IN THIS (MEDIA) WORLD! INTERVIEW Byung-ho Kim

EXHIBITION INFO. in Seoul

COVERSTORY

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MEDIA & EDUCATION _HOW CHILDREN LIVE IN THIS (MEDIA) WORLD!

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“Education is a plane looking ahead to a

Cases of Media Art Exhibitions and Workshops for Children in Korea

century.” People in Korea used to quote this epigram to emphasize that education should be built on long term views and plans considering family, society and even a future of a country. Today, where sociocultural environment changes so fast than ever according to newly emerging tech-

In recent years, media art exhibitions and education programs for children have gained attention and have been done consistently. For example, ‘Small Fish Workshop in Seoul (2004)’ which was made by Prof. Kiyoshi Furukawa of Tokyo University introduced in Seoul as a subsidiary event of media_city seoul 2004.

nology and media, it seems to be a tough

This workshop intended children, whether

challenge for a person to adjust in this

they are the disabled or not, cooperate

society and live a happy life. This situation

and create the image and sound together

adds more attention to the education that

with the aid of digital media tools. This

helps children adjust to this new world.

workshop left strong impression to media

In this new media environment, children

artists and people interested in education

should learn how to adjust in the society

and draw their attention to the possibility

and think creatively, as getting along with

of children education through media art.

others. In that point, the exhibition and

Thereafter, various media art exhibitions

workshop for children involving new me-

and workshops for children allowing new

dia and media art is getting an attention

experience and creative imaginations via

as an alternative ways of education.

new media were followed: ‘Find Rainbow Cat! - Playing with 5 senses(2006)’ by AliceOn, ‘Alice Museum Exhibition’(2007, 2009) series by Art Center Nabi, and ‘ Shadow is following-Oulim Media Art Experience Exhibition (2008)’ in Goyang OulimNuri Arts Center that media artist Choi Seung-jun participated in as artist and organizer. In addition, ‘Life in Media workshop (2006)’ co-planned by media_city seoul 2006 and the Information and Communication University Digital Media Lab showed attributes of high-end technology and digital media through films familiar to children.

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Art Education + Media: Synesthetic Experience, Media of Creation

Previously mentioned media art exhibi-

Choi Eun-ok, Art Educator and Imuseum

tions and education programs intended

Director, who have developed art edu-

for children to feel interest and curiosity

cation programs combined Korean art

in new media and media art, not to feel

practice and new media, said that un-

them something difficult. Such exhibitions

derstanding various texture, expression,

and workshops particularly opened up the

and senses are very important because

possibilities of synesthetic experiences

art education ultimately aims to teach

not only seeing but also experiencing 5

children how to enjoy culture and raise

different senses mingled with. Children

creative thinking and creativity. She also

could naturally understand new media

emphasized that it is very important to

and how to use them as a creating tool, as

make children experience synesthetic

experiencing new media with bodies and

senses like hearing and touching besides

shifting the artworks through their par-

seeing and to let them learn how to use

ticipation. Such programs were evaluated

new media creatively and for different

positively by art education system and

expressions.

adopted as educational tool or methodology frequently.

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Media Education and Media Literacy

Media art exhibition and education

also managed Scratch workshop so that

programs for children mentioned above

people could learn the easy way of image

have focused on experiential phase of

creation based on pair work and coopera-

media such as synesthetic experience and

tion.

understanding the application of media.

It must be said computer enables people

However, such programs were not enough

to experience new communication skills

to teach for children how to truly under-

and creativity. Media education should be

stand media and how media construct

about how to communication and create

the world where we live in. Digital media

with this new language and survive in

has changed the world and shifted the

this world. In this way, media education

paradigm of thinking and communication.

could bring up media literate children and

Herewith, media education should let

they will make our future unexpected and

children and people learn how to commu-

emergent beyond our imagination.

nicate and live with the others in this new world. An interview with Choi Seung-jun, a media artist, media education expert, and IT expert, helped to figure out further meanings of media education. Choi is able to be familiar with computer literacy due to his background in applied physics, science education and computer programming, and he has tried to connect different spectrums of society as a mediator between IT and art. He could develop education programs using computer as something more than just a tool, suggesting collaborative and creative model to work with other people and for teachers to educate in a better way. For instances, he has applied [Agile Software Development] into kindergarten education and pursued durable education emerged from constant cooperation and communication. And he

KOREAN ARTIST INTERVIEW

BYUNG _HO KIM

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Substantiating Fantasies of Human Desire

Artist Kim Byung-ho was born in 1974 in Seoul, majored in engraving art in Hongik University and graduated Art and Tech graduate school in Chungang University. Now he is a resident artist in national art studio in Goyang. His works focus on substantiating fantasies of human desire, and he adopts media in his art works to create new appreciation.

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ments and changes are getting set up.

Would you tell us about your overall work

My first solo exhibition was a half year

from the beginning up to now?

after my graduation, and my motivation was energy then. The titles of works were

[Floating Space], [Floating Light], [Float-

As a child, I was always interested in

ing Land], and I wanted to show visually

making something. I was more interested

how energy substantialize in real space.

in making than drawing. I guess that’s

With magnet and electromagnet, I shifted

how ended up in sculpturing and craving.

two characteristics of those materials into

Engraving is a little different, but it’s a

sound, which is another form of energy,

lot of fun as well. Finally I got into gradu-

and into light movement as well. I mean I

ate school, and that’s when I started to

used media to catch the very moment of

ponder about my art work. Engraving is

energy being diffused between space and

definitely attractive, but I wanted to ex-

sound, during movement of light, and be-

tend my work to three dimensional space.

tween gravity and its reaction. At the time

I wanted to challenge myself beyond pure

I was thinking maybe artist is someone

art and try to adopt media, because what

who could stand on the blade of a knife.

I ultimately pursuit is to experiment upon

Like someone who could cross the border

art itself. As I had enough chances to ex-

between the real world and beyond the

perience media and screen during gradu-

real, and make invisible things tangible.

ate school years, I have realized major

And at my second and third exhibition, my

part of domestic media art works already

interest is more into ‘proliferation and ex-

involved screen images. But there are

pansion’. This is like a ‘fantasy’. I wanted

various ways to combine media with art.

to substantialize fantasy of a society, my

Figuring out how media could be applied

fantasy, your fantasy, and fantasy of art

as a material and relating media to art is

in the end. Art itself is one big fantasy,

such a fun. And these are where my art

and my biggest interest now is how I can

works come from.

express those fantasies.

Q. After [Floating Space] from your previous exhibition, what did you want to say in your work like [Silent Pollen]? A. I had to do project works in my graduate school. After the graduation, I had time to focus on my own work and my experi-

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to work with media, but as a matter of

[Silent Pollen] series applied flower as a

fact the media intervention is only a

metaphor. Why is that?

small part of my whole work. I spend more time sculpting the external look of

works. My point is how to make media

First of all, I thought of the reproduction

generate as a human brain in the cold

structure of flower. Flowers breeds and

sculpture.

proliferates in silence, and I thought human system is like that too. For example,

like Coca Cola permeated all over our cul-

You said, 1% of media and 99% of

ture without people realizing it, something

sculpture. Can you give us some more

strong sneaks into people’s mind and mul-

detail explanation on this sentence?

tiples. That’s what I wanted to tell through the flower metaphor, the plant’s silent and

strong multiplication. Media programming

It’s a metaphorical expression. As I

was applied to express sound and multi-

previously mentioned, media takes

plying process of flower.

relatively a small portion compare to its time spending. I’m personally

thinking to reduce the media portion

Tell us about your theme of desire.

because of my view point of media. I think media is such a strong medium.

Media basically involves movement,

My third solo exhibitions focused on

which is its artificial part, so one may

visualizing desire of fantasy which I have

feel uncomfortable about the fact. The

been ponder upon. When fantasy rises,

strong media in the work makes me

there is a lump of desire, instinct, to drive

feel a little nervous. Enjoying and using

the fantasy. That’s what I wanted to talk

an art work rather than appreciating it

about. Desire itself is not a bad thing,

are not want I pursuit. Even 1% is still

and everyone has it. I see there are many

a critical part of my work. It may sound

kinds of desires, so I applied media into

ironic, but I think media gets stronger

my installation work to produce sounds.

as it gets more covered. I want consis-

The intervention of the media, however,

tent logical structure in my works, so I

was controlled so that the reproduction

take media and switch its function into

or multiplication structure which is silent

something different from its traditional

could come out as small sounds. I person-

role to apply in my work.

ally think I sculpt media rather than using it. I wanted to inspire warmth into the cold objet I work on. It takes quite a lot of time

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from the scenery. If you look into the

I was expecting visual art, my original

Now, what do you say about interaction of

work, sounds from the installation is cre-

genre, will eventually connect to media.

media art?

ated by computers modulating frequen-

Media work basically requires installa-

cies in the real time space. The sound

tion, so as I wanted in the first place, I

works like the nervous system, not from

am sculpting, and having fun out of it by

I personally don’t like compelling interac-

recorded sound.

inserting media. I think of media interven-

tion, so I only let media intervene naturally

tion when I work on my art piece, and

in an installation. If interaction doesn’t

people say my work is something differ-

show up between audience and the work,

Artist Kim Byung-ho’s work has become a

ent from other artists’ sculptures. This

it is fine only if that’s natural. This is the

little different from the previous sculpture

is partly because I came from different

way I feel media is free and light.

works. It may be the media, but it seems

background, and also I think differently

The installation work in Seoul City Mu-

there is something more. What is it? I per-

about media intervention.

seum’s south Seoul branch reflects such

sonally felt something warm inside of the

ideas. Like a scenery in a temple, I wanted

work, unlike its cold mechanical external.

to create natural harmony with the space or the environment. Sadang station where

the work is installed is full of city noises

I wanted to apply media experimentally,

that I wanted to provide sound of nature

which turns out to be a formless media.

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What’s your upcoming plan?

Please explain about [Assemble Fantasy], 2008.

A. Very soon in May, I have open studio

exhibition at National Goyang studio,

It’s a new work started last year. Like its

where I’m staying right now. Also, there

title, I wanted to build a machine that

is my homecoming report exhibition

assembles desires. Parts of the work

at the same time. I went to exchange

show the moments when desires are

program to the city’s cultural ministry

assembled. The piece itself can be as-

studio at Frankfurt in Germany from

sembled and take to pieces, like jointed

December 2008 to February 2009. I will

accessories without welding. This struc-

show what I have done there with some

ture resembles of human desires tangled

other works. Also, I’m planning to dis-

with many interest relationships, and I

play my installation at Neo-Ohgamdo

thought such desires can exist on its own

Exhibition in Seoul City Museum.

or on assembled form. I guess for a while I will stick with this assembling and disassembling pieces. This form is also comfortable when you transport the results to my upcoming exhibitions abroad. ^^ Q. The work looks very impressive. When you consider the shape, what are your motivations? A. I want to make something that looks like nothing on the earth. Of course such attempts also might come from my past experiences and thoughts, but I think the subject could be more strong when it’s harder to expect the form and the function of a work. That’s what I expect when I materialize fantasy of desire which is formless. Q.

Q. Thank you for your interview.

EXHIBITION INFO. IN SEOUL

A.L.I.C.E Museum: Future School SOMA Museum 2009.05.01 ~ 2009.06.21 Into Drawing 9_ KANGHAEIN (mixed media installation) SOMA Drawing Center 2009.04.30 ~ 2009.05.24 www.somadrawing.org

The irony KIMI Art 2009.03.20~ 2009.05.19 www.kimiar t.net

2009 Spring Picnic at SeMA Museum Attack! Seoul Museum of Art 2009.04.30 ~ 2009.06.14 www.seoulmoa.org

From Yeonhui-dong Yeonhui-dong Projects 2009.03.26 ~ 2009.05.17 www.yhdprojects.com

As you see, as you hear, as you imagine Cheonnggye Art Studio 2009.04.28 ~ 2009.05.31 ar tstudio.sisul.or.kr

Moving Museum KUMHO MUSEUM OF ART 2009.05.01 ~ 2009.08.16 www.kumhomuseum.com

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