ELOQUENCE issue zero by Vincent Sung

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contents

008 010 012 018 022 026 030 034 040 046 049 068 078 082 090 094 100 104

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essay THE FLOOR essay SCENT BY SCENE creators JAMES POWDERLY creators Takahito Irie creator John Skelton creators SHOJONO TOMO collaboration RANGGAN x YOM SNIL creators Lee Wan essay EYES WIDE OPEN creators Maia designers REPEAT REPEAT -N- ENJOY collaboration fleamadonna x Evan Goodfellow x Venus Robertson collection HELLO, THIS IS ME drawing Nakwon-dong, Seoul creators Call Me Tiger creators CTRL ALT SPACE essay GWANGJU RISING information World Exhibitions

Cover Artwork. Takahito Iirie

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staff Editor in Chief Jeon WooChi / jeonwoochi0625@gmail.com Editor Jean Choi / younjean.choi@gmail.com Anna Choi / egoidealism@gmail.com IDA Gr채nd책s-Rhee / idaateloquence@gmail.com UNA SeungEun Lee / unalee2180@gmail.com London Editor Suk Kyung Yun / yurusi@gmail.com Tokyo Editor Yuta Sugihara / yuta.sugihara@gmail.com Amsterdam Editor EunKyung Hwang / ikben.ekh@hotmail.com Writer / Contributor Tae Ho Kim / t4eho@hotmail.com Hyo Bong Chong / ggg6999@naver.com Andy St. Louis / andy@concreteexperience.org Art Director Yom Snil / yomsnil@gmail.com Head Designer Yoon Jeong Lee / ggong1110@naver.com Assistant Designer Mi Kyung Kwon / ggmmgg@naver.com Hae Ran Jeong / rinhol86@naver.com Ji Eun Kwon / kwonje0508@nate.com Su Rim Nam / s2sr1003s2@naver.com Photographer Jun O Hwang / raphip@gmail.com Max Eeow / max.zhihong@gmail.com Translator Esther Hwang / soyoonie87@gmail.com Web Designer Yong Hoon Kwon / kwonyh@teentimes.org Ji Young Kang / 357@hanmail.net Advertising Kyu Soo Bang / giftbang@naver.com

Chairman Deog Soo Lee / president@teentimes.org President Jung Sik Lee / core@timescore.co.kr Chief Manager Kevin Tak / starbiggy@gmail.com Julia Baik / cutejuliabaik@gmail.com IT General Manager Kang-il Kim / kang_il@teentimes.org IT Management Team Jung Hun Kim / kjh@teentimes.org Yo Han Kim / tolerance@teentimes.org Distribution Sung Sook Choi / choi740710@teentimes.org

ELO QU ENCE international creators magazine

Times Core Co. E&C Tower 8th Fl., 46 Yangpyung dong 3ga, Yeongdeungpo gu, Seoul, Korea 150-103 Phone. 02.392.3800 / Fax. 02.392.1800

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contributors

Andy St. Louis

IDA Grändås-Rhee

Night Path team

I saw the smart-looking American man at the magazine fair where my indie magazine was on display. Andy was sitting right next to my booth, writing down something. “What are you writing about?” I asked. “I love writing,” he replied. This was how we became friends. The other day, Andy called me and said he would like to contribute to Eloquence. In fact, he has already contributed to Eloquence several times even before I joined Eloquence. He went all the way to Gwangju to take a peep into the Gwangju Design Biennale and sent me a wonderful review about an art event with nice pictures. Good job, Andy! Andy is an art critic and culture journalist based in Seoul. He is Creative Director of Concrete Experience, a quarterly journal of contemporary photography and creative writing, and runs the art blog ‘SeoulArtFiend.com’.

IDA Grändås-Rhee is a composer, performing artist, writer, and photographer based in Seoul, South Korea and Salaboda, Sweden. She performs music she composes at experimental theatres, dance theatres, installations performances, as well as on more regular stages in clubs and on festivals. Her writings and photography have been published in various magazines and newspapers in Korea and Sweden. From this month, she joined Eloquence as a new editor. Her quiet and poetic characteristic added a calm and organized hue to Eloquence. Most importantly, we could communicate well since she is fluent in Korean. I’m sure her active participation will make our magazine even better. Welcome to Eloquence, Ida!

A week has passed, but I’m still scratching mosquito bites. I guess other staff members are doing the same thing. We made a lot of good memories as well as glorious scars from mosquito bites while shooting outdoor fashion pictorials in the mountains late at night. Photographer Evan had to rely on the moonlight to take pictures and our model Venus had to change her clothes in a narrow place, and fleamadonna designer Jei Kim helped us before leaving for the U.S. and my beloved Beauty Song helped us in many ways from driving the car to putting on a make-up for our model. I’d like to thank all of them from the bottom of my heart. I’d also like to give special thanks to the Buddhist priest who turned on the light of the temple for us!

Suk-jun Kim

SUK-KYUNG YUN

I was nervous before the shooting, but as soon as Kim Suk-jun picked up his camera, I felt relieved because I strongly trusted him. He added wonderful images for our October issue to make it even better. Using his magical powers, he simply turned actress Kim Se-in into someone new and captured artist Takahito Irie and James Powderly’s momentary sensibilities. Now I see why my editor-in-chief fully trusts him. Thank you very much, Mr. Kim!

YUN SUK-KYUNG is a new Eloquence editor in London. She was the first editor for the club culture magazine Bling. Then, she kept on going to do experimental projects for Benetton Korea as a marketer. This is why she is called an energizer. Currently, she is majoring in MA Applied Imagination in the creative industry at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London and working with characteristic creators to perform unique projects. Her interview with London’s hottest select shop LN-CC’s director in October issue is just a beginning. She is ready to amaze us with her amazing projects she is working on with creators in London. Just get ready!

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essay

THE FLOOR A celebration of RUFXXX on their first anniversary

It is something with the floor. That gray, cold, uneven surface on which all the shows of RUFXXX are held.

Editor. IDA Grändås-Rhee Photographer. KANGHEE Grändås-Rhee

Sarah Krikorian in Dead Man Walking

It was in June 2010 that I first came to RUFXXX, the two story combined restaurant/bar and performance space located right under Namsan in Seoul. The first summer heat had just hit and even in the dark night the stickiness seemed impossible to avoid. Entering RUFXXX was like coming to another world. The dark silhouette of Namsan, the cool winds and the dimmish light seemed to leave no space for sticky heat. People seemed different, too. Sitting by the random placed tables on the porch, eating rice dishes topped with vegetables, egg and cheese with a glass of wine, they were calm in a way that otherwise is hard to see in Seoul. But it was when entering the performance space upstairs that I first saw that floor. With walls, ceiling and floor all painted in the same gray colour, and the only light being what seeped through the red curtains covering the windows, the floor seemed to have an own type of gravity. I soon found myself standing barefoot on that floor.

Over a year has passed since then. From that gray floor in the theatre space of RUFXXX, I’ve watched audience enter and leave, their faces following the performers, the beams of the projector through the smoke of the smoke machine creating a wall between them and me. There has been times when I haven’t been able to go to RUFXXX for months, but when returning, that cold floor always makes me feel that same feeling of gravity, of being home. Watching the new show “Dead Man Walking” on the RUFXXX first anniversary day that was held on August 20, I couldn’t stop thinking how it was like that gravity of the floor had saturated the music and the performance. As if RUFXXX itself had found a home, in the sound.

Something must have changed in my face at that point, because I remember answering a question of how I was feeling. My answer was just as simple as that feeling of my bare soles against the cold floor. “I feel like home,” I said.

RUFXXX PROJECTS was founded by Kim Hyungnam in 2009. The project started off in Gwangwhamun before moving to the current space close to Grand Hyatt Hotel at Namsan. Shows are held every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 9 pm. The current show is called “Dead Man Walking.”

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essay

SCENT BY SCENE Our sense of smell is more innate than the other four senses. That’s why they say, a memory of a scent lasts the longest in our minds. I had asked Perfume Artist Soo Jin Kim about the scent that was most memorable to her, and she had stated that the strongest scent in her mind was of the perfume, COTY Powder, which could always found on her mother’s make-up stand. Hmm… I think I might know what kind of scent that may be.

Editor. Jean Choi Photographer. Jun O Hwang

It’s been an hour and we’re still talking about her amazing perfume trip to France. “This was actually my first time going abroad somewhere. I wanted to learn more about perfumes and see in person the kind of rare perfume collections that can’t be found in Korea. During the time I was there, it was actually Mimosa season in Grasse, which is in the south. The scenery was exquisite. All you could see were miles and miles of blooming yellow flowers. These flowers are actually what later become high-quality essential oils in perfumes.” I’m surprised because Soo Jin tells me that as a child, she used to have terrible allergies and couldn’t help but to dislike many scents. However, she couldn’t escape from scents as she would was surrounded by everyday household items such soap, shampoo, fabric conditioners, etc. “If I can’t avoid something, I might as well enjoy it, right? So, I tried to hold by my sneezes and look for scents that were beneficial to the body. And so, I wanted to do research and development for scents as well as become a kind of perfume marketer.” However, you can’t kill two birds with one stone. She became a perfumer at lab after graduation, but she was never satisfied with her job. “At the lab, all I had to do was just duplicating famous scents. I wanted to be independent and do creative work, so I’ve become a freelancer. I’m so happy because I can now freely design the scents that I want to make and partake in the kind of activities I want to do.” Soo Jin is currently working as a Perfume Artist and as the editor of <CoParfum>, which is a specialized perfume magazine. She is also busy working as a perfume specialist for various activities such as lectures and exhibitions. She said

that the making and selling of a scent are not everything. But it’s the dialoguing and exchanging of emotions in order to create a new scent that makes her truly happy. Recently, she’s been working as an artist for an exhibition hosted by <CoParfum>. “This was project to get scents to portray and represent various artworks. The artwork I selected was of flower, and from that picture, I was able to associate and feel a mother’s warm embrace. Then a mother’s warmth and comfort became the concept for the scent I wanted to create. Since the scent was unique and not similar to those with famous brand names, it received a good response.” This exhibition, which had gone on for seven days, had enticed all the people passing by to come in and check things out. Many had asked if they could purchase the scents that were on display. “The artwork and the scent really went together well, and that’s why people had a positive reaction to the perfume. A glamorous picture goes matches with something sexy, a nature-y picture with something refreshing, and loving picture needs something loving.” Then I asked her about what kind of scent her signature scent would be. “Scents that are exciting and provocative tend to lose interest pretty quickly, but natural scents tend to blend in with a person and last in his or her memory. I want to create a kind of natural scent that will go well with any person and create a feeling of warmth and comfort. The most natural scent is the most charismatic one. I hope to be able to make something like that in the future.” www.coparfum.com

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creators

JAMES POWDERLY

James Powderly introduced himself as a mediocre man. But when you typed his name on Google, YouTube, and Wikipedia, you find all sorts of occupations including graffiti artist, a NASA engineer, a space scientist, a skateboarder, and a professor of design. Is he really a mediocre man?

Editor. Una Seungeun Lee Photographer. Suk Jun Kim

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Q. How did you feel about getting the top YouTube hit on the front page? Which video was it? In 2007, one of the Graffiti Research Lab videos, the NightWriter, made it to the front page of YouTube. At the time it felt great to have my work seen by so many people without having to get kicked in the balls, fall down some stairs or have a baby bite my finger. But it was more interesting somehow because of the larger context. We were receiving attention from the art world at the time and showing our work in major exhibitions in Europe and the United States. For the most part, this art world attention was due to our popular success on the web and not critical attention from the gallery circuit or the art market. It was a nice demonstration of something we have all come to realize since: the audience of everyday, bored-at-work citizens on the web really matters. The Internet is far from a utopia, but in some ways it has enabled the popular voice of the crowd to push a new type of work into the mainstream of the art/media world and subvert the role of producers, curators and the art establishment. You can’t ignore 5 million people hitting the “like” button anymore. Q. Can you tell us your stories about what kinds of legal problems did you have while you re working in different countries? In the United States, we have mostly stayed out of trouble and only been hit with a few Cease and Desist orders for copyright infringement, which is becoming an increasingly common experience for artists because corporations don’t acknowledge constitutional “fair use” laws. In Europe, we have had our equipment confiscated and had to pay fines to get it returned in Barcelona. The city of Barcelona had a right-wing conservative administration at the time that was fighting hard to stifle the city’s international image as a graffiti Mecca. But the young people in Barcelona more than made up for the trouble by being one of the wildest and most appreciative crowds. In China, I was arrested and sentenced to 10 days in a Beijing prison for “upsetting the public order” for making a laser device that was to be used by protestors during the Olympics. In the end I didn’t do anything, but was arrested for planning to do it. I do somewhat understand the Chinese governments position with respect to protest and public order, but I think the Chinese people deserve the right to non-violently disagree with their government. Now, three years later, you see the Chinese government still fighting hard against artists and private citizens who want to speak out against corruption and the abuse of power. The wave of “people-power” being fed by the “Arab Spring” and the “Jasmine Revolution” is not something that is going to just go away. I think the Chinese government will have to adjust to and tolerate the increased political power of the average Chinese citizen in order to advance as a developed nation.

Q. You went through a hard time due to a disease. Can you tell us more about it? When I was 19, my doctor told me I had a disease called Crohn’s. Medical science doesn’t really have a clue about what Crohn’s is yet and currently there is no cure. It has something to do with an excess of white blood cells which attack the gastrointestinal system. I have had a number of surgeries, had 18-inches of my guts removed, lived for almost a year shitting in a bag attached to my rib cage and took strong chemo-therapy for over ten years. Currently, I am in remission and I think living in Korea has been very good for me. For the most part, Crohn’s has been a blessing in disguise. Because of the way the insurance system is structured in the United States, my disease forced me to go back to college after I had dropped out. That was one of the turning points in my life. In general, it has helped me to build up a resilient character. Whenever I get a chance, I like to talk about Crohn’s, to raise awareness about the disease and to remind the million people who suffer from it worldwide that it doesn’t define us and can’t prevent us from living our life to the fullest. Q. What do you like about working with Urbantainer as a creative director? Urbantainer is an architecture and design company based in Seoul. The president, Baik Ji-won, and I met through friends and began talking about ways to integrate media in architecture. We have been working together for a few months and the combination of our skills allows us to build together things that neither of us would have been able to do before. I am able to contribute knowledge of computational media and electronics to their skill with architectural design and fabrication. So the scale of the work I have been able to make in the past has increased and so has the permanence. We both believe that in the future, architecture and media will be more often combined and that in order to do so they need to be made in a more integrated fashion so the media elements don’t feel “added-on” and decorative and the architecture retains its presence amidst the flashing lights and motion. But the best part about Urbantainer is the awesome designers who work for the company, the laid-back work atmosphere, the office parties and Kim Minkyu’s Makgeoli.

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Q. What’s your up coming art project? Right now, Urbantainer and I are working on a number of projects, including creating a lighting system for a new Gangnam club. The club wants to do something new and original and sees media art as a way to elevate the level of design within Korean club culture. The system we have designed, in collaboration with Song Ho-jun, is ambitious and uses new LED technologies that have not been fully explored yet. The system will be tightly integrated with the music and the overall club architecture design. We are also trying to turn the lighting system into a platform or a tool that can be used by other visiting media artists and VJs. Q. Have you got any art pieces that are kept for permanently? At which museum? The GRL has one piece, “Laser Tag,” in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in NYC. We are currently talking to the curators of the Design and Architecture Department at the MoMA about the collection of another piece, “the EyeWriter,” which is currently on display at the “Talk to Me” exhibition. Q. I have seen your video called “GRL the complete first season.” Can you tell us more about it? GRL: The Complete First Season” is a feature-length documentary about the birth of the Graffiti Research Lab. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and has since played around the world, from the Brooklyn Academy of Music to the Tate Modern to SangSangMaDang. The movie documents the adventures of my GRL partner, Evan Roth, and I over the course of two years. I think it’s unique in the indie movie world in that it only took us three weeks to make it and cost us nothing to produce. I never really understood why it was so successful, but I guess people enjoy watching two nerds stumble through a counter-culture, graffiti adventure that spans five continents. I hope it inspires other nerds to take their computers, make some dangerous friends and go out in the world and fuck shit up. Q. How did living in Korea change your lifestyle? Has anything changed since you moved to Korea? I moved to Korea because the flow and style of the city “clicked” with me. I had been living in Berlin and then London since 2009, so when I moved to Korea in 2010 I had to adjust to the speed and the formal aspects of the Korean system. For the most part I have embraced it. In Seoul you have to think fast and work faster, so that’s what I try to do. And the access to raw materials and fast, capable manufacturing in Seoul makes all this possible. My friend, Professor Jin Yo Mok told me that once you make things in Korea for long enough you find it really hard to work anywhere else and I am finding this to be true. The ability to quick service ten Arduino’s from Yongsan, get 35 pieces of acrylic laser-cut in Chyeonggicheon and get rice straw from Daegu by KTX all in one day is impressive, addictive and just plain necessary in Korea. I am trying to learn how to respect age, position, community and the long Korean cultural heritage... something we don’t really do in the United States. The only aspects of Korean culture I am interested in changing involves my design students. I reject the idea of Hierarchy in my classroom at Hongik. My students and I, regardless of age or grade, are equals in

the domain of design. And I am trying to encourage my female students to stand up and fight for equal rights, respect and pay in the workforce. And If I could have any lasting impact on Korea, it would be to increase the visibility and value people place on design versus manufacturing or technology. There are so many talented and original designers in Korea and they deserve to be acknowledged the way the Korean technology industry has already been on the international stage. For years, I have been living quite poor and barely scraping by as an artists. Now that I have two jobs in Korea and am starting my own design studio, I finally have enough money to consider settling down and starting a family. I guess, at some point, I will have to change my last name from “Powderly” to just “Lee”. Q. Where is your next destination? I have no plans to leave Seoul. Seoul is my home now. Q. As an artist, you have lived quite an interesting life. Are you happy with your lifestyle? I have been a musician, a skateboarder, a NASA engineer, a space scientist, a model, an inventor, a graffiti artists and a schoolteacher. I have basically been mediocre at most of them but I managed, for the most part, to make some small contribution. I am satisfied with that and it’s all I hope to do in the future. Simple put, I just enjoy making things. I don’t see any need to lock myself into one title or position for long or become a master of anything. I have always admired people like Benjamin Franklin, Jaques Cousteau, Walt Disney and James Cameron: people who have experimented with a number of professions and hobbies and continued to try new things late into life. I guess one day I would like to be an astronaut but realistically that window is slowly closing. I’ll probably settle down eventually and be a cook in a Korean restaurant. Q. What are your plans for the future? These days, I am excited about making large-scale, commercial media installations and design products. I have been involved in a number of projects in Korea which I think are the beginning of a new era of integration between media and architecture. I am excited about merging my dissimilar interests like graffiti and robotics, bringing elements of both into the mainstream of design and architecture. P.S. I am still working on the EyeWriter project, which is a low-cost device built to allow people with paralysis to draw and communicate using their eyes. We are almost finished with the Hangeul Keyboard design and plan to release it sometime around November. In general, I guess I am ready to just do something new. I’m too old to run away from the cops carrying a projector. It hurts my back. The contemporary design world in Korea seem like its ready for a bald, foreign, ‘adjushi’ to join the community and start making strange lamps, so that’s the plan. www.graffitiresearchlab.com www. fffff.at

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The Mediocre Man James Powderly는 스스로를 별 것 아닌 사람(mediocre)이라고 말한다. 그러나 구글, 유튜브, 위키피디아에서 그의 이름을 검색해 보면 그래피티, 아티스트, 나사 엔지니어, 우주 과학자, 스케이트 보더, 디자인 교수 등 별의 별 직업이 검색된다. 그는 정말 별 것 아닌 사람일까? Q. 유튜브 첫 화면에 최다 조회수로 올라갔을 때 기분이 어땠나? 어떤 비디오였나? 2007년 Graffiti Research Lab의 Night Writer라는 비디오가 유튜브의 첫 화면을 장식했다. 큰 어려움 없이 많은 사람들에게 나의 작업을 보여줄 수 있다는 것은 기분이 좋더라. 당시 우리는 미술 세계에서 관심을 받으며 유럽과 미국의 주요 전시회에서 작품을 전시하고 있었는데, 그 사건을 통해 웹에 있는 관중들이 정말 중요하다는 것을 실감했다. 인터넷은 유토피아와는 거리가 있다. 하지만 인터넷에서 군중들의 목소리를 통해서 새로운 타입의 작품이 만들어지기도 한다. 뿐만 아니라 인터넷을 통해 작품들을 예술/미디어 세계의 메인 스트림으로 끌어올리기도 한다. 요즘 웹은 프로듀서, 큐레이터, 미술 시설에 버금가는 역할을 하고 있다. 500백만 명 이상이 선택하는 “ 좋아요”를 무시할 수 있는 아티스트는 아마 없을 것이다. Q. 다른 국가에서 작업을 하면서 가졌던 법적인 문제들에 대해 이야기 해 주겠나? 미국에서는 저작권 위반 때문에 몇 번의 정지명령을 받은 적이 있었다. 아티스트에게는 흔히 있는 일인데, 이는 기업이 헌법의 “공정 사용” 법을 인정하지 않기 때문이다. 바르셀로나에서는 장비를 압수당한 적도 있다. 우리는 장비를 돌려받기 위해 벌금을 내야 했다. 그 당시 바르셀로나는 국제 시장에서 ‘그래피티의 메카’ 로 비춰지는 모습을 원하지 않았다. 바르셀로나의 우파 보수당은 이 문제로 아티스트와 대치하고 있는 상황이었다. 그러나 그 때 가장 거칠고 크게 감탄했던 군중이 바르셀로나의 젊은이들이었다. 그 덕분에 우리는 문제를 수월히 해결할 수 있었다. 중국에서는 올림픽 기간 동안 시위대들이 사용하는 레이저 기기를 만들었다는 이유로 체포되기도 했다. “공공질서를 어겼다”는 것이 이유였다. 베이징 감옥에서 10일을 선고받았다. 사실 나는 아무 것도 하지 않았지만 계획을 했다는 이유만으로 체포 당한 것이다. 공공질서를 지키고 보호하는 중국 정부의 입장은 어느 정도 이해한다. 하지만 중국 사람들도 비폭력적인 방법으로 그들의 정부에 대해 반대할 권리가 있다고 생각한다. 3년이 지난 지금, 중국 정부는 아직도 권력 남용과 부패에 반대하는 시민, 아티스트들과 싸우고 있다. ‘민중의 힘’의 물결은 쉽게 사라지는 것이 아니다. 중국 정부는 선진국에 맞춰 중국 시민들 사이에서 증가하는 정치적 힘을 알맞게 조절하고 참아야 한다고 생각한다.

Q. 당신은 병과 싸우느라 어려운 시간을 보냈다고 했다. 병에 대해 알려주지 않겠는가? 19살 때 의사는 나에게 크론병이 있다는 진단을 내렸다. 당시에는 의사들도 크론병에 대해 알지 못했다. 최근, 크론병이 과도하게 많은 백혈구가 위장을 공격하는 병이라는 사실이 밝혀졌지만 여전히 고칠 수 있는 방법은 없다. 여러 차례의 수술을 통해 내장의 18인치가 잘렸으며, 일 년 가까이 흉곽에 달린 팩에 변을 봤고, 10년이 넘도록 강한 화학치료를 받았다. 현재 나는 다행히 완화상태를 유지하고 있다. 한국 생활이 나에게 도움을 주는 것 같다. 반면, 크론병은 내 인생 대부분의 상황의 전화위복이 되었다. 미국의 보험 시스템 덕분에 나는 대학을 중퇴한 후에도 학교를 다시 다닐 수 있었는데, 이는 내 인생의 터닝 포인트 중 하나라고 할 수 있다. 나는 기회가 있을 때 마다 사람들에게 크론병에 대해 말하는 것을 좋아한다. ‘이 병은 우리를 정의할 수 없고, 우리가 인생을 열심히 사는 것도 막을 수 없다’. Q. 얼반테이너의 크리에이티브 디렉터로 활동을 하고 있다. 얼반테이너는 서울에서 활동하고 있는 건축과 디자인 회사다. 백지원 대표와 나는 친구를 통해 만났다. 우리는 만나자마자 미디어와 건축을 통합하는 방법에 대해 이야기하기 시작했다. 그리고 몇 개월 동안 함께 일을 하게 되었고 우리의 기술 조합은 서로가 전에는 하지 못했던 일들을 할 수 있게 만들었다. 나는 컴퓨터를 사용한 미디어와 전기에 대한 지식을 그들의 건축 디자인과 제작에 제공했다. 이를 통해 작업의 스케일과 영구성이 모두 늘었다. 우리는 미디어 요소가 건물의 장식이나 깜빡이는 조명과 빛의 움직임같은 ‘추가 기능’에 그치는 게 아니라고 생각한다. 가까운 미래에는 건축과 미디어가 자주 협업하여 통합된 유행을 만들 것이라 믿는다. 나는 얼반테이너에서 일하는 것이 좋다. 함께 일하는 디자이너들이 멋지고, 작업 분위기가 여유로우며, 오피스 파티를 즐기기 때문이다. 하지만 그 중의 최고는 김민규의 막걸리다. Q. 다음 아트 프로젝트는 무엇인가? 현재 얼반테이너와 많은 프로젝트를 하고 있다. 요즘 가장 재미있게 준비하고 있는 작업은 강남에 새로 오픈 할 클럽의 조명 시스템을 구축하는 것이다. 이 클럽은 우리에게 새롭고 독창적인 것을 원했다. 그리고 우리의 미디어 아트가 한국 클럽 문화를 한 단계 끌어 올릴 것이라 기대하고 있다. 송호준과 함께 협업하여 만드는 이 시스템은 흔히 알려지지 않은 새로운 LED테크놀로지를 사용한다. 이 시스템은 음악과 전반적인 클럽 건축 디자인과 잘 어울린다. 우리는 조명 시스템을 플랫폼이나 객원 미디어 아티스트나 VJ가 사용할 수 있는 도구로 전환시키기 위해서도 노력 중이다.

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Q. 당신의 <GRL: the complete first season>이라는 이름의 비디오를 보았다. <GRL: the complete first season>은 Graffiti Research Lab의 탄생을 담은 장편의 다큐멘터리이다. 선댄스 영화제어서 개봉되었고 그 후에 브룩클린 음악 아카데미부터 테이트 모던, 서울의 상상마당까지 세계 곳곳에서 상영되고 있다. 영화는 GRL 파트너 Evan Roth와 내가 2년 동안 겪은 모험을 기록한 영상이다. 만드는데 3주 밖에 걸리지 않았고 제작비가 거의 들지 않았다는 점에서 이 영화는 인디 영화계에서도 특별하게 인정받고 있다. 나는 아직도 이 영화가 왜이리 성공적인지 이해를 못하겠다. 그러나 사람들이 두 범생이가 5대륙을 거치며 반문화와 그래피티 여행에서 실수하는 것을 즐겁게 보고 있다는 것은 알 수 있다. 나는 세상의 다른 범생이들이 이 영화를 본 후, 컴퓨터를 통해 위험한 친구들을 사귀고 더 넓은 세계로 나가서 망가지길 바란다. Q. 한국에서의 생활이 당신의 라이프스타일에 어떤 영향을 미쳤는가? 2009년부터 베를린과 런던에서 살다가 2010년에 서울에 왔다. 이곳의 흐름과 스타일이 나와 ‘클릭’되어 그 후로 계속 정착하게 되었다. 서울에서는 생각을 빠르게 하고 일은 더 빠르게 해야한다. 원자재를 쉽게 구할 수 있는 점과 빠르고 유능한 제조업은 이런 시스템을 가능하게 만드는 것 같다. 나의 친구 목진요 교수는 한국에서 오래 일하게 되면 다른 곳에서 일하는 게 어려워진다고 말했다. 그게 사실인 것 같다. 단 하루 만에 용산에서 10개의 아두이노Arduino를 퀵 서비스로 받고, 청계천에서 아크릴 레이저로 35 개의 조각을 만들고, 대구에서 KTX로 짚풀을 받을 수 있는 것. 이는 인상적이고 중독적이며 오직 한국에서만 가능한 시스템이다. Q. 한국에 와서 어떤 점에 변화가 생겼는가? 나는 장유유서, 존중, 지역사회 등 오랜 한국 전통 유산을 존경하는 법을 배우고 있다. 한국 문화에서 내가 관심 있어 하는 유일한 변화 요소는 내 디자인 학생들이다. 나는 내 강의실에서는 계층에 대한 발상을 버렸다. 나와 내 학생들은 나이와 학년에 상관없이 디자인이라는 영역 안에서 동등하다. 여학생들에게는 동등한 권리와 존중, 노동 급여를 위해 싸우라고 격려한다. 앞으로 내가 한국에서 영향력이 생긴다면 디자인 대 제조업 또는 테크놀로지에 있는 사람들의 시장과 가치 증가를 위해 일할 것이다. 한국에는 재능 있고 독창적인 디자이너들이 많이 있다. 하지만 그들은 한국 기술 산업이 이미 세계적인 수준에 도달했다는 사실을 잘 알 필요가 있다. 지난 몇 년 간은 아티스트로서 꽤 빈곤하게 하루하루 힘겹게 살았다. 지금은

한국에서 두 개의 직업을 가지고 나만의 디자인 스튜디오를 시작하고 있다. 나는 마침내 서울에 정착하고 가족을 만들 충분한 돈을 가지게 되었다. 때가 되면 나의 성을 “Powderly”에서 “이”로 바꿀 것이다. 이가루! Q. 당신의 다음 목적지는 어디인가? 서울을 떠날 계획이 없다. 서울은 지금 나의 고향이다. Q. 당신은 흥미로운 인생을 살아왔다. 아티스트로서 만족하는가? 나는 지금까지 음악인, 스케이트보더, 나사 엔지니어, 우주 과학자, 모델, 투자자, 그래피티 아티스트, 학교 선생님이었다. 나는 평범한 일반인이었지만 많은 부분에서 작게라도 기여하기 위해 애썼다. 이 모두 미래에 하고 싶은 일들이었기 때문에 지금 매우 만족한다. 나는 스스로 하나의 타이틀이나 지위에 오랫동안 머물거나 한 분야의 마스터가 될 필요는 없다고 생각한다. Benjamin Franklin, Jaques Cousteau, Walt Disney와 James Cameron를 존경한다. 그들은 언제나 다양한 직업과 취미를 가지고 많은 것을 경험하며 인생의 말년에도 계속적으로 새로운 일을 하고 있으니까. 언젠가 우주 비행사가 되고 싶다. 하지만 현실적으로 그 창문은 조금씩 닫히고 있는 것 같다. 난 아마 한국에 정착해서 한식당 요리사가 될 것이다. Q. 앞으로 어떤 일을 할 계획인가? 요즘 나는 스케일이 큰 상업적인 미디어 설치와 디자인 제품에 흥미를 느끼고 있다. 나는 한국에서 미디어와 건축의 통합이라는 새로운 시대의 시작점과 같은 프로젝트에 참여할 수 있었다. 그 프로젝트에 그래피티나 로봇같이 나의 색다른 관심사들이 합류되어 이 대세에 함께 할 수 있다는 것이 기쁘다. P.S. 나는 몸이 마비가 된 사람들이 저렴한 가격으로도 눈을 사용하여 그림을 그리고 소통할 수 있는 EyeWriter 장치의 프로젝트를 계속 진행하고 있다. 한글 자판 디자인과 작업이 거의 끝났고 11월쯤 선보일 예정이다. 나는 새로운 일을 하기 위한 준비가 항상 되어있다. 그러나 이제 프로젝터를 들고 경찰을 피해 도망 다니기에는 너무 늙었다. 허리도 아프다. 한국의 현대 디자인 세계는 외국인 대머리 아저씨를 받아들일 준비가 되어있다. 그리고 우리는 특이한 디자인의 램프를 만들 것 이다. 이것이 나의 계획이다.

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creators

Takahito Irie Boys in Japanese animations save the world with robots. Irie Takahitoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s <H/U/M/A/N M/A/C/H/I/N/E>seems strong enough to save us from this boring world.

Editor. Una Seungeun Lee Photographer. Suk Jun Kim

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Q. How did you come up with the idea of making the human machine? It is simple. I just combined a human being and a robot together. I was watching famous Japanese futuristic animations, such as EVANGERION, GUNDAM and GORST IN THE SHELL. I’m not a big fan of animations. However, there are a lot of ironic relation between technology and human life, and most young kids are into robots that fight to save our lives. But the power of the main characters actually comes from hi-technology machines. Therefore, for my concept of the <H/U/M/A/N M/A/C/H/I/N/E>, I just put a human body and robot surface together, like my current artworks with face paintings and body paintings. Simply put, the concept behind the <H/U/M/A/N M/A/C/H/I/N/E> is the gap between mentality and physicality derived from technology development and technology competition in our daily lives. I’m always looking for new ideas and I often get inspired by culture, history, and technology. However, it’s a little hard to organize ideas in my head. Therefore, I always draw ideas on the wall in my studio, and then try to organize the structure of my concept about the human body and how our lives are changing. Q. Are you doing any collaborative work? I do sometimes. I do it when I have a big project or idea with sounds, programming and some video projections. I usually create minimum way to express my ideas. But if I am going to create big installations, I might need more smart people who can do better composing and programming than me. Since I have no sense in creating beautiful sounds, I’d like to collaborate with other artists when we build audiovisual installation. We can make collaboration by using some ideas and visual images I prepare. Q. What made you come to Korea? I came to Korea in 2007 for the first time as an exchange student to Hong-Ik University from Tama Art University. The reason why I applied to the exchange program was to learn Hangeul. When I was studying visual communication, I became interested in the Korean alphabet. When I first saw the Korean typography with graphic design, I was very impressed with the Hangeul structure. It looked very cool although I had no idea how to read it and how to make the structure to pronounce it. It totally looked like just shapes with triangles, circles, and squares. Later, I applied for the exchange program to study visual communication and learn the language in Korea

20101202001 / Made in Korea / Photograph / 1100×800mm / 2010

Q. What’s purpose of your artwork? My artwork has two ways. One is for researching and the other one is for creating. Usually I spend a lot of time researching than creating art pieces in order to create the story behind my artworks. In my opinion, art is kind of a mirror of society. People can see real in art with twisted meaning and ironic things sometimes. I hope people can realize important events in our lives through my artworks. Q. How do you want to interact with the audience? For now, I interact with people through face painting and body painting. I usually communicate with people in new place, and then find model for my artworks. Models for my artworks can get new feelings and new surfaces with body painting. And after creating images with the body painting, the audience can see completely different human body, which looks like a ‘Transformer.’ People can be models for my artworks, then become audience to see their different sides, and the audience is able to become model for my artworks. There is a kind of circle how to interact with people into my artworks based on the communication with people. Q. What is the relationship between your artworks and your personality? The image from my artworks and myself are always equal, or I’m trying to create images which are equal to my personality and images from my art works. My art works have more information about my concept, like a media. I do not want people calling me a media artist. Because painting, photograph and audio and/or sound installation are all based on media. As I said, I am spending a lot of time researching to show my ideas to people, but it is still difficult to show my ideas to people directory without an object. That’s why I try to convert my ideas into objects so I can share my ideas with people.

20101108001 / Made in Finland / Photograph / 1100×800mm / 2010

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Q. Where do you get inspirations? I get inspirations from everything for my artworks. I get inspirations when meeting people, talking and drinking with my friends. Since I already have a lot of small ideas, there are also random ideas, which I can’t connect with other ones. However, when my friends say something, it happens like a magnet that connects each ideas and words to advance to create new ideas possible to create in real. I always try to do brainstorming. There is no special inspiration, but I just keep ideas in my mind and wait for its chemical reaction. Q. What’s the main message you want to address to the society? I try to show images without the nationality. If you see my artworks, there are many people come from different countries. The massage I’d like to deliver is that the things people came from where, which nationality doesn’t matter, I just like to show the identity of each person without nationality things. The society will deal more importantly about individual ability and skill, so it is a part of strong concept in my art works. Q. What motivate you the most to keep on working as an artist? Maybe the pressure from myself to survive at a different place (when I got residency program) and developing ideas are keeping me as an artist.

20101115001 / Made in Canada / Photograph / 1100×800mm / 2010

Q. What’s the relation between human and culture? There is a relation between human and cultural development based on technology development. Our life always has own cultural background, and the culture is changing with technology. That’s why I focus on researching and creating with the technology development way now. And plus, after the machine age (early 1900s), our life had a big change. At the same time, we need to study history to understand deeper about culture and how it came up in our life. Q. What’s your upcoming exhibition? I heard it is going to be Asian Young Artist exhibition in Deagu. Yes, I have a schedule to exhibit my works in the Asian Young Artist 2011 in Deagu and my artist friend is asking me to join an exhibition in Gwangju at the end of September. Maybe I will exhibit some of my art works with face paintings and video installation in Deagu. Q. What is your criterion in choosing colors? The series of <H/U/M/A/N M/A/C/H/I/N/E> have a lot of colors on face paintings. I took some colors from their identity after I met and talked with the models for my art works. I try to show variety of different colors to explain their identity with some effects from technology development. The design of face paintings looks like a robot. I took a robot pattern for metaphor of technology effect to human body. Q. What do the numbers mean? I did put the number as serial number without the name of model. Because I meant their images are already products after face paintings became look like robots and just objects. So number is serial number as products. Q. Did you have any difficulty while you are working? Yes. There is always limitation about budget, time and place. But creating in the limitation always helps me use my brain harder. Q. Why did you decide to focus on portrait instead of a full body photo? I already started creating with whole body with body paintings, but in the series of <H/U/M/A/N M/A/C/H/I/N/E>, I just made with portrait with models’ face to show their own identity from eyes, skin color and the look from the face.

20101106001 / Made in Korea / Photograph / 1100×800mm / 2010

Q. Why did you put tattoo on your buttocks? Oh, in the beginning I put a tattoo on my buttocks because I can hide it. And it is kind of nice place to put the tattoo (letter of H/U/M/A/N M/A/C/H/I/N/E) on. The shape of butt looks very humanity, and the letters from my art concept make an interesting contrast. And it was just happening to put and show the image of my tattoo in video installation made with my friends Benjamin Domrich and James Powderly.

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20101201001 / Made in Germany / Photograph / 1100×800mm / 2010

20101118001 / Made in U.S.A. / Photograph / 1100×800mm / 2010

Q. What do you think about relationship between utopia and human machine? The concept about <H/U/M/A/N M/A/C/H/I/N/E> is still on the way to create and show the concept of Utopia. Since the concept is huge to organize a number of ideas, I am still taking my time to organize it. In the utopia concept, there are a lot of method from community, history, culture, and technology, and plus human desires. It seems very complicated. For now, I focus <H/U/M/A/N M/A/C/H/I/N/E> concept with more identity and technology development. Maybe Utopia idea is more society, and the <H/U/M/A/N M/A/C/H/I/N/E> idea is based on more individual way. But I’m already planning to make connection between each idea and put it in the same story. A series of <H/U/M/A/N M/A/C/H/I/N/E> is the beginning of the huge story ahead to Utopia theory. Q. What’s the utopia that you think of? This is a tough question. Please ask me this question again next year. The idea about <H/U/M/A/N M/A/C/H/I/N/E> is still developing and will connect with utopia concept by adding more stories into <H/U/M/A/N M/A/C/H/I/N/E>.

www.irietakahito.com

20101122001 / Made in Korea / Photograph / 1100×800mm / 2010

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creator

John Skelton It may open to anyone, but it is not so easy to approach it. Late Night-Chameleon Café which opened in Dalston far from London, grafted clothes, music, and art, settled itself as the curatorial innovative platform, and attracts the attention of fashion people and curators all over the world. Like LN-CC we can visit only through the reservation, it was not so easy to have an interview with John Skelton, a creative director and buyer.

Editor & Photographer. Suk Kyung Yun

Q. What kind of place is LN-CC? LN-CC is the a new concept of space without any boundaries and a fixed formy. It is an independent platform without any boundary in the products in for sale, and a space arousing synergeticy effects mixed with these diverse aspects. Q. What kind of work do you pursue? As a buyer and creative director of for LN-CC, I play a role to orient focus the LN-CC brand, and buy varied goods such as men’s clothes and , women’s clothing and books fitted that match thefor the concept of LN-CC. Q. How was the journey ofdid you begin your life career as a buyer? I studied Biology and Computer Science inat the college atin the age of 16 but I didn’t know what I wished wanted to do here. After 2 months, I lost interest, quit the college and began to work at a shop in Middlesbrough of Home Town. At the store, I sold Raf Simons, Dries Van Noten, Prada etc. and I received inspiration fromwas inspired to become interested in top fashion brands them, and came to have interest in the main line brand naturally. After then, I became a regular staff member and began mytook the career asof a buyer from the age of 19, looking around Milano and Antwerparpen.

Q. LN-CC는 어떤 곳 인가? LN-CC는 정해진 형태가 없는 곳이자, 경계가 없는 새로운 컨셉의 공간이다. 판매하는 제품에 경계가 없는 인디펜던트 플랫폼이며, 이런 다양한 면들이 섞여 시너지 효과를 일으키는 공간이다. Q. 당신은 어떤 일을 하나? LN-CC의 바이어이자 크리에이티브 디렉터로서 LN-CC 브랜드의 방향을 제시하는 역할을 하고, 남성 의류, 여성 의류, 책 등 다양한 제품들을 LN-CC의 컨셉에 맞게 바잉한다. Q. 바이어로서 당신 인생은 어떻게 시작되었는가? 16살에 대학 생물학과 컴퓨터를 공부했지만 내가 무엇을 하고 싶어하는지 몰랐다. 2달 만에 흥미를 잃어 학교를 그만두고 고향인 미들스브로에 있는 의류 매장에서 일하기 시작했다. 그 매장에서 라프 시몬스, 드리스 반 노튼, 프라다 등을 판매하였는데 이들로부터 영감을 받으며 자연스럽게 메인 라인 브랜드에 흥미를 갖게 되었다. 그 후로 나는 정직원이 되어 19살 때부터 밀라노과 앤트워프를 돌며 바이어의 길을 작했다.

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Q. While doing the work ofworking as a buyer, have you ever withed wished to become a designer, with your passion for fashion? as you love the clothes too much? In fact, I thought of it. If I am were engaged a in designer, I want would only make the clothes that I wanted, without worrying about the tastes of others.to make only the clothes of my desire with my ample emotion without paying attention to others. This approach mirrors my approach as a buyerpoint has something in common with my flavour of buying. I try not to be arrogant, but when I’m buying, I don’t consider whether or not people will like what I choose. The most important thing is whether I like it or not.think arrogantly, but when I do buying, I don’t consider ‘indeed will people buy this item? or ‘will they like it?’. Whether I like it or not is the most important requirement. If I had had a more commercial mindset, I could not be a member of LN-CCTherefore, if I had thought of a commercial part I could not be in LN-CC currently. Finally in this respect, it may be fairly said that LN-CC is our about the way we express our thoughts and feelings.expression method about how we feel and think. Q. What did you do before making creating LN-CC? As a Creative Director, I had worked at Oki-ni for three years, and had acted as a buyer of for Department Store Harrods and Selfridge. I worked as a buyer mainly with men’s clothing and began to work as a buyer of women’s clothing when starting I started LN-CC . Q. There seems to be something different in buyingbetween men’s clothes and ladies’ apparel. When buying ladies’ dresses, what do you consider? Obviously there is a boundary between men’s clothes and women’s clothing! But I try not to have difference there to the maximumchange my approach too much. Considering women who are interested in men’s garments, I purchase the clothes in the way that a man buys from a female collection. As a woman usually wears femininewoman’s clothes at length clothes, I make much of the design understandingtry to understand the body well, the overall details, and the fitting most. Women do not wish to wear men’s clothes as they are, but they like a masculine style that fits well it is, but they wish to wear a masculine style to be pretty fitting.

Q. 바이어 일을 하면서, 옷을 무척이나 사랑하는 당신은 디자이너가 되고 싶었던 적은 없었나? 사실 생각했었던 적이 있었다. 만일 내가 디자인을 한다면 다른 사람은 신경 쓰지 않고 나의 감성을 충분히 담아 내가 만들고 싶은 옷만 만들고 싶다. 그리고 이 점은 내가 바잉하는 취향과도 일맥상통한다. 나는 바잉 할 때 ‘이 제품을 과연 사람들이 살까?, 사람들이 좋아할까?’을 전혀 고려하지 않는다. 내가 건방지게 생각하는 것이 아니라 내 마음에 드는지가 가장 중요한 요건이기 때문이다. 그러므로 내가 만일 상업적인 부분을 생각했다면 지금의 LN-CC는 있지 않았을 것이다. 결국 LN-CC는 우리가 어떻게 느끼고 생각하는지에 대한 우리의 표현 방식이라고 말할 수 있겠다. Q. LN-CC를 만들기 전에는 어떤 일을 했었나? 크리에이티브 디렉터로서 Oki-ni에서 3년간 일했었고, 해롯과 셀프리지 백화점에서 바이어를 했었다. 남성복 위주로 바이어를 하고 있었지만 LN-CC를 시작하며 여성복 바잉도 시작하게 되었다. Q. 남성복과 여성복을 바잉할 때는 다른 점이 있을 것 같다. 여성복을 바잉 할 때 어떤 점을 고려하나? 남성복과 여성복의 경계는 분명히 있다! 그러나 나는 최대한 차이점을 두지 않으려고 한다. 나는 남성복에 관심이 있는 여자들을 생각하며 여자 컬렉션을 남자가 바잉하는 방식으로 구입한다. 여성복은 결국 여성이 입기 때문에 몸을 잘 이해한 디자인, 전체적인 디테일, 핏팅을 가장 중요시 여긴다. 여자들은 남자 옷을 그대로 입고 싶어 하는 것이 아니라, 예쁘게 핏이 되는 마스큘린한 스타일을 입고 싶고 하니까.

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Q. In buying men’s clothes, what do is the point you focus on? I buy the clothes I want to wear. If the trousers strike my fancy in the a season, I buy only trousers, and if the I fancy jackets comes to my fancy, I buy only the jackets. Q. You are handleing diverse price rangescategory and all kinds of brands, but do you have any buying philosophy of your own? My buying philosophy is based on the experiences I had in my growthyouth. What I liked most in the 90’s was in my growth is i-D Magazine. At that time i-D was too fresh, which and showed Street Brand as the main line productwith their main products being urban labels. The magazine had a unique visual style, which affected me strongly., displaying the visuals mixed diversely. The visuals seem to affect me potentially hitherto. While working a As a buyer, I grafted the mainstream line products to the a street wear style. I always mixed Vans and Raf Simons with wearable clothes. As you see, progressive mainstream line brands like Balenciaga, Givenchy, and Lanvin, they get much inspiration from street wear. Most of brands focus on the young generation strategically. Retail shops also get inspiration from youngsters in the current times, and use new ideas coming out from them. Interesting retail shops leading the market represent youngsters. Therefore, we cannot ignore the current youth culture. Q. The brand you like most of all times ? Raf Simons! I have liked Raf’s clothes most from since my childhood, and I liked street culture activities, like liked street emotion of surfing, skateboarding etc. hidden represented in Raf’s clothes mixed well with a new style. And my philosophy has a thread of connection with hisis connected with his. Raf’s collection of 4-5 years ago was a new attempt to pioneer an idea in all, showed a pioneering idea, so it was all very was interesting. But Raf Simons seen through Jill Sander seems to make sure what he is doing currentlybe more calculating nowadays. He seems to be much trimmed obviouslymore conservative and I don’t think he is. However, I don’t think he is progressive or experimental any more.

Q. The brand you pay attention to now? I count Damir Doma first as the best brand for of the past 10 years. He has a high level of understanding about materials and shapes and knows well what he is doing. And KOLOR’s color, materials, style, and finish are very good. Their ethnic and silky aspect is the best. Q. Where do you get information about the brands? There is nothing no special place. If you have the level of understanding of the mainstream line products like Prada, Raf etc., you will have an eye out for new a designers or a brands coming newly. Many people contact me diversely with promotional literature, like Look Book, but in fact, we often usually directly discover directly the brands we like ourselves. we like in many cases. In my opinion, we a real buyer visits designers directlyhad better visit it directly if we are a real buyer. The clothes will be the more special ones than the clothes other people sell. Q. There are many diversified Japanese brands and Asian brands. Are there any particular features of Asian brands, and are there any features of Asian brands only? First of all, the sizes is are different. In case of Japanese onesIn Japan, many brands are circulated domestically, and there are a lot of brands using that use hard-to-find forms and fabrics difficult to be seen in other places. And many Asian-based brands don’t follow the vogue or fashion but make somethinghave their own individual flair of their own conspicuously. Q. Do you know any Korean fashion designers? I am aware of SONGZIO, JUUN J. In fact, I don’t know Korean brands well, but in coming October, I will join the F/W Seoul Fashion Walk and look for some.

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Q. What is your favourite product you bought this time? Jacket of POW WOW jacket! POW WOW is London-based Indonesian brand which has just started, their own uniqueness like fabric or shapes are steeped here and there.and they have their own unique shape and fabric. Especially,Their line of their aaccessoriesy line is tremendously good. Such a brand where aWhen a designer’s purport intent and concept are can be seen at a glimpse, his or her work will attract everybody’s attention.. Q. What is your favourite men’s collection in that Men’s Seasonthis season? I liked LANVIN most. And KOLOR, JIL SANDER, DAMIR DOMA, DRIES VAN NOTEN.

Q. 남성복을 바잉을 할 때 중점으로 여기는 점은 무엇인가? 내가 입고 싶은 옷을 구입한다. 그 시즌에 바지가 마음에 들면 바지만 바잉하고 자켓이 마음에 들면 자켓만 바잉한다. Q. 다양한 가격대와 종류의 브랜드를 취급하고 있는데, 당신만의 바잉 철학이 있다면? 나의 바잉 철학은 내가 자라면서 겪은 경험에 바탕을 두고 있다. 90년대에 성정하며 내가 가장 좋아했던 것은 i-D매거진이다. 그때의 i-D는 굉장히 신선했으며 스트리트 브랜드를 메인 라인 제품으로 보이며 다양하게 믹스한 비주얼을 보여주었다. 그 때의 비주얼이 지금까지 잠재적으로 나에게 영향을 미치는 것 같다. 나는 바이어로 일하면서 메인 라인 브랜드를 스트리트 웨어 스타일로 접목하며 바잉을 했다. 나는 웨어러블한 옷들에 항상 반스와 라프 시몬스를 믹스했다. 발렌시아가, 지방시, 랑방 같은 진보적인 메인 라인 브랜드들을 보면 알 수 있겠지만, 그들은 스트리트 웨어에서 영감을 많이 받고 있다. 대부분의 모든 브랜드들이 전략적으로 젊은 세대에게 초점을 맞춰가고 있다. 소매 매장들 또한 현 시대의 젊은이들로부터 영감을 얻고, 그들로부터 나오는 새로운 아이디어를 이용하고 있다. 시장을 이끌고 있는 흥미로운 소매 매장들은 젊은 사람들을 대변하고 있다. 그러므로 현재의 유스컬쳐를 절대 무시할 수 없다. Q. 당신이 가장 좋아하는 브랜드는? 라프 시몬스! 어렸을 때부터 라프의 옷들을 가장 좋아했고, 라프의 옷 속에 숨어있는 서핑, 스케이트 보드 등의 스트리트적인 감성을 새로운 스타일로 잘 믹스한 것을 좋아했다. 또한 그와 나의 철학은 일맥상통하는 점이 있다. 라프의 4-5년 전 컬렉션까지는 모든 것이 새로운 시도였고, 앞서가는 생각이 엿보였으며 모든 것이 재미있었다. 하지만 질 샌더를 통해 본 라프 시몬스는 지금 자신이 무엇을 하는가에 대해 더욱 확신이 있는 것 같다. 그는 확실히 많이 다듬어져 있는 느낌이다. 하지만, 더 이상 진보적이거나 실험적이라고 생각하지는 않는다. Q. 당신이 지금 주목하고 있는 브랜드는? 지난 10년간 가장 괜찮은 브랜드는 다미르 도마라고 생각한다. 그는 소재나 형태에 대한 이해가 아주 높고 자신이 무엇을 하고 있는지 잘 알고 있다. 그리고 콜러 (Kolor)의 색상과 소재, 스타일 그리고 마감이 아주 좋다. 그들의 에스닉하고 실키한 면이 가장 좋다. Q. 어디서 브랜드에 대한 정보들을 얻나? 특별한 방법은 없다. 만약 프라다, 라프 등 메인 라인 브랜드에 대한 이해도가 있다면 새롭게 나오는 디자이너나 브랜드들을 볼 수 있는 눈이 생긴다. 많은

Q. When buying the garmentgarment, do you have any inspiration or influences inare you inspired or influenced by your surroundings ? I have much inspiration from Today’s Life of mine, my neighbours, what I saw in my tripget a lot of inspiration from my daily life, my neighbours, things I see when I travel. I never follow seasonal trends. the fashion of season. I like constantly-new and attractive things. I like things that are new and attractive. And I make an effort to do things that other shops have never tried and cultivate s to attempt the things other shops never tried to do up to the present and cultivate a progressive ideas. Q. Any shop in London you recommendWhat London shops do you recommend? Visit LN-CC! There is no such place withNobody has such diverse products and interesting concepts composition as LN-CC.

사람들이 나에게 룩북 같은 홍보물로 다양한 연락을 취하지만, 사실 우리가 좋아하는 브랜드는 우리가 직접 발견하는 경우가 더 많다. 내 생각에는 진정한 바이어라면 가서 직접 찾아야 한다고 생각한다. 그 옷들은 다른 사람들이 파는 것보다 특별한 것일 것이다. Q. 다양한 일본 브랜드 및 아시안 브랜드들이 많은데 아시아 브랜드들 만의 특징이 있나? 우선 사이즈가 다르다. 일본의 경우엔 자국 시장을 중심으로 돌아가는 것이 많기 때문에 다른 곳에서 보기 힘든 형태와 소재를 이용한 브랜드들이 많다. 또한 많은 아시안 베이스 브랜드들은 유행을 따르지 않고 자신들만의 무엇을 만들어내는 점이 특히 눈에 띈다. Q. 한국 패션 디자이너를 알고 있나? 송지오, JUUN J를 알고 있다. 사실 한국 브랜드들 잘 모르지만 이번 10월에 있는 F/W 서울 패션 위크에 가서 찾아 볼 예정이다. Q. 이번에 바잉한 제품들 중에 가장 마음에 드는 것은? POW WOW의 자켓! POW WOW는 이제 갓 시작한 런던 베이스의 인도네시아 브랜드인데 소재나 모양 등 그들만의 특별함이 곳곳에 배어있다. 특히 이들의 액세서리 라인은 굉장히 훌륭하다. 디자이너의 의도와 컨셉이 한 눈에 띄는 이런 브랜드는 누구에게나 주목 받을 것이다. Q. 이번의 지난 남자 시즌에 가장 마음에 들었던 컬렉션은? 랑방이 가장 마음에 들었다. 그리고 콜러, 질 샌더, 다미르 도마, 드리스 반 노튼. Q. 바잉 할 때 주변에서 영감을 주는 것이나 영향을 받는 것이 있나? 나의 오늘의 라이프와 내 주변 사람들, 여행 다니면서 보는 것에서 많이 영감을 받는다. 나는 절대로 시즌의 유행을 좇지 않는다. 언제나 새롭고 눈길을 끄는 것을 좋아한다. 다른 매장들이 지금까지 하지 않았던 것들을 시도하고 진보적인 생각을 하려 노력한다. Q. 런던에서 추천해 줄 수 있을만한 매장은? LN-CC를 방문해라! LN-CC만큼 다양한 제품과 재미있는 구성을 가지고 있는 곳은 없을 것이다. www.ln-cc.com

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creators

SHOJONO TOMO

The name ‘Shojono Tomo’ means an ‘eternal child’. Just like her name, she is an artist with the spirit of an eternal child. Recently, her unique fashion artwork under the theme ‘CHILD PLAY’ is gaining huge popularity. So, what exactly is ‘CHILD PLAY’?

Editor. Anna Choi Writer. Yuta Sugihara

Q. Please tell us about ‘CHILD PLAY’. Why did you choose the theme? I was inspired by a shocking shooting spree happened in 1999 in the U.S. The tragic murder case is called the ‘Massacre of Columbine High School’. A high school boy who was bullied by his peers opened fire on his classmates and killed many students during the shooting spree. It was a very shocking issue at the time. A Japanese indie musician was inspired by this incident and released a CD entitled ‘School Shooting’ and I was asked to make the CD cover. Since then, I became interested in juvenile crime and young criminals’ psychology. In 2004, I came up with the theme ‘CHILD PLAY’. Q. What does ‘CHILD PLAY’ exactly mean? I minted the phrase ‘CHILD PLAY’ and this project started in 2004. ‘CHILD PLAY’ refers to an adult who has characteristics of a child. The term also involves the relation between the person and society. The first model for this new project was myself. In order to explain the concept of ‘CHILD PLAY’, I made up a story called ‘SKINSHIP BURNY’. It is a compound word, which is a combination of ‘Skinship’ and ‘Burn’. The story goes like this. “The year is 2xxx! Human beings on Earth managed to survive the El Niño, but now they face with a new problem. A great number of children are suffering from loneliness and their body temperatures drop dramatically. They can even lose their lives due to hypothermia. In order to survive, they try to warm up their bodies. However, their body temperatures go up abnormally this time. If someone doesn’t love them sincerely, their fever will burn them out. This is because they are suffering from the human El Niño called ‘LOVE SICK.’ The children’s secret code is ‘I love you until I get burnt.’ You may get burnt by their hot body heat, but they are waiting for you to take them into your arms.”

Q. What does this story mean? The basic story line is that a lack of affection in childhood can negatively affect children as well as the people around them. In some cases, loneliness can be turned into anger. Therefore, lonely children can attack others. However, we need to embrace them to cure their loneliness. I’m using the word ‘El Niño’ to explain this phenomenon. I actually think that human being’s selfishness might be the cause of the El Niño. At first, ‘CHILD PLAY’ was started by my personal trauma. However, now it is the main motive for me to think about the relation between personal feelings and society. Q. Why do you express the theme ‘CHILD PLAY’ on clothes rather than canvas? I always think about the relation between our emotions and our society. As we grow up, we learn how to survive in our society and most of us want to settle down. In particular, the Japanese are very social and they are afraid of becoming outsiders. This is why they often indulge in particular things to escape the stifling reality. Sometimes they are crazy about superstars or idols. Many people feel vicarious satisfaction by admiring superstars who have an unusual fashion sense. Many superstars wear unconventional clothes that ordinary people, who are afraid of breaking social regulations, avoid to wear. I think that maybe these superstars have the spirit of children. Like children, they are not bound by social regulations and conventional boundaries. In other words, people admire the superstars’ ‘CHILD PLAY’ – not their fashion styles. Acording to this concept, I think it is suitable for expaining ‘CHILD PLAY’ by fashion.

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Q. You are making very unique clothes and normal people won’t be able to enjoy your clothes. Are you making these clothes for superstars? No, I’m not making clothes for superstars. Of course, I know that my clothes are unconventional and unique. So my clothes are loved by people who refuse to blindly follow conventional social regulations. Like I said earlier, these people still have characteristics of children inside. I call them ‘CHILD’ and we can often find grown-up ‘CHILD’ these days in our modern society, other than superstars. I make clothes and draw pictures to support all of the grown-up ‘CHILD’. Sometimes people admire their child-like spirit, but CHILD often gets rejected by society and treated like heretics. So the grown-up ‘CHILD’ are loved by many people, but they can feel lonely all of a sudden. My artwork is made to comfort and encourage them. Also my name Shojono Tomo means that I’m children’s friend.

Q. Since you use fashion for your artwork, people may think that you are a fashion designer. Yes, sometimes people think that I’m a fashion designer. In fact, many magazines introduced me as a fashion designer. However, I’m an artist and I’m just using clothes to create my artwork. There is a huge difference between using art in fashion and using fashion in art. Clothes are our daily necessaries, but art is not. People tend to feel comfortable with familiar things. This is why I’m grafting art onto fashion. I believe that I can easily deliver my messages to the general public through fashion. To me, fashion is just a tool to express my feelings and deliver my messages effectively. Q. Please tell us more about your artwork. From 2009 to May 2011, I displayed my artwork at an international museum in Sweden. I expressed the theme ‘CHILD PLAY’ using a Kimono that a child wears during ‘753’(children’s festival in Japan). I tried to combine traditional Japanese culture and modern fashion together. I participated in this project as a conceptual artist. Also, this summer, American rapper ‘NICKI MINAJ’ used my fashion artwork as an item for her music. Currently, a growing number of people in other countries are becoming interested in my artwork and this is a great chance for me to introduce my work to the world. Q. Lastly, please tell us about your future plans. I will keep making uniforms for lonely ‘CHILD’. So they can jump higher. I will also keep supporting and encouraging myself and other ‘CHILD’ through my artwork. I hope we, grown-up ‘CHILD’, will get more attention and respect from other people. If you happen to see a ‘CHILD’, please give them a warm hug. I will hold two exhibitions in October and November in 2011 in Los Angeles, and in 2012, I’m planning to release <KIMONO FUSION vol.3>. Please keep supporting me. www.shojonotomo.com

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Q. ‘CHILD PLAY’는 어떻게 시작하게 되었나? 1999년 미국에서 일어난 한 청소년 범죄를 계기로 시작 되었다. 그 사건은 ‘COLUMBINE HIGH SCHOOL의 대학살’로 불리는 대참사로, 괴롭힘을 당하던 한 소년이 자신의 고등학교에서 무차별 살인을 저지른 일이었다. 당시 엄청난 이슈가 되었던 사건이었다. 일본의 한 인디 뮤지션은 이 사건 보도를 보고「School Shooting」이라는 CD를 릴리즈하게 되었는데, 나는 그 CD의 커버를 만드는 일을 요청받았다. 이때부터 청소년 범죄와 심리학에 대해 깊이 생각하게 되었고, 계속해서 더 깊이 이 세계에 들어왔다. 그리고는 2004년, ‘CHILD PLAY’라는 테마를 시작하게 되었다. Q. ‘CHILD PLAY’라는 콘셉트를 설명해 달라. 2004년부터 진행해오고 있는 프로젝트로, 내가 직접 만들어낸 단어다. ‘CHILD PLAY’의 의미는 어린이의 특성을 유지한 채로 어른이 된 사람, 그들의 성질과 요인, 또 그들과 사회와의 관계를 내포한다. 이는 처음 나 스스로를 모델로 만들어진 개념이었다. 나는 ‘CHILD PLAY’를 설명하기 위해 ‘SKINSHIP BURNY’라는 이야기를 만들었다. ‘SKINSHIP BURNY’는 Skinship(스킨십)과 Burn(화상)을 합쳐서 만든 단어이다. 그 줄거리는 다음과 같다. “때는 2xxx! 지구의 엘니뇨현상을 겨우 모면한 인류에게 새로운 문제가 발생했다. 고독을 견딜 수 없는 아이들이 그 외로움에 비례하여 체온을 극한까지 떨어뜨리고 얼어붙어 버리는 빙하 현상이다. 그 현상에 저항하려는 아이들은 반대로 비정상적으로 높은 열을 낸다. 그러나 그 상태에서 누군가의 사랑을 확인하지 못하면, 스스로의 열에 의해 모두 불타 버린다. 인간 엘니뇨현상, LOVE SICK에 걸려 버린 것이다. 그 아이들의 암호는 ‘데일만큼 사랑해’. 그 아이들의 뜨거운 체온에 데일지 몰라도 그들을 꼭 껴안아 줄 수 있는 당신의 사랑을 아이들은 기다리고 있다.” Q. 이 이야기는 어떤 의미인가? 이 이야기는, ‘부모로부터의 애정이 부족한 아이의 트라우마가 본인은 물론 제 3 자에게 다양한 영향을 끼친다.’는 내용이다. 어떤 경우에 ‘고독’은 누군가를 향한 공격으로 바뀔 가능성이 있다. 그러나 그러한 공격을 감수하며 고독한 이들을 품에 안고 응원할 필요가 있다고 생각한다. 나는 이것을 나타내기 위해서 엘니뇨(El nino)라는 말을 사용하고 있다. 실제로 지금 이 지구상의 엘니뇨현상도 개인주의 성격이 많이 모여서 발생하고 있는 것은 아닐까 생각되기도 한다. 처음에 이 CHILD PLAY는 나의 개인적인 트라우마에서 시작됐다. 하지만 현재는 ‘개인이 거느리는 감정’과 ‘이를 둘러싼 사회’의 관계를 생각하는 것이 주요 모티브가 되었다. Q. ‘CHILD PLAY’를 캔버스가 아닌 옷 위에 표현하는 의도는 무엇인가? 나는 늘 인간의 감정과 사회의 관계에 대해서 생각한다. 사람들은 어른이 되면 모두 사회성을 배우고, 사회의 둘레로부터 떨어져 나가려하지 않는다. 특히 일본인은 사회 속에서 자신의 존재가 벗어나는 것을 두려워하는 민족이라고 생각한다. 그리고 자기 대신에 벗어날 수 있는 어떤 다른 것을 찾는다. 그 ‘다른 것’은 가끔 슈퍼스타나 우상이 될 때가 있다. 모든 슈퍼스타들이 그런 것은 아니지만, 이들은 평범하지 않은 패션스타일로 일반적인 사람들이 대리만족할 수 있도록 한다. 도덕이나 사회적 규범을 깨는 것이 두려운 일반 어른들은 입지 않는 옷을 슈퍼스타들은 과감히 입고 나온다.

나는 이 부분에서, 어쩌면 이런 슈퍼스타들이 ‘아이의 영혼’을 가진 사람들이 아닐까 생각한다. 아이와 같은 마음이 그들로 하여금 어른사회의 둘레를 주저 없이 벗어날 수 있도록 하는 것이다. 즉, 사람들은 슈퍼스타의 ‘패션’을 동경하는 것이 아니라, 슈퍼스타의 패션을 보고 그들의 ‘CHILD PLAY’를 동경하는 것이다. 나는 이런 개념을 이용하여 CHILD PLAY를 패션으로 풀어내는 것이 적합하다고 생각한다. Q. 당신이 만드는 옷도 굉장히 독특해서 평범하게 입지 못하는 스타일이다. 슈퍼스타가 입기위해 만드는 것인가? 그런 것은 아니다. 물론 내가 만드는 옷은 특이하기 때문에 일반적인 사회적 관념으로부터 벗어날 수 있을만한 사람들이 입을 수 있다. 앞서 말한 것처럼, 나는 이러한 사람들이 ‘내면에 어린이의 특성을 지니고 있는 어른들’이라고 생각한다. 그리고 이들을 ‘CHILD’라고 부른다. 현대 사회에는 이러한 ‘CHILD’가 슈퍼스타 뿐 만 아니라 일반적으로도 많이 있다. 내가 만드는 그림과 옷은 모든 ‘CHILD’ 들을 응원하기 위한 것이다. 어린이의 영혼으로 어른사회를 산다는 것은 보통의 어른에게 동경을 받기도 하지만, 때로는 ‘이단아’ 취급을 받기도 한다. 즉, ‘CHILD’ 들은 때로는 사랑을 느끼다가도 돌연 고독해진다. 고독한 그들을 위로하는 것이 나의 주요 작품의도이며, 그것이 나의 이름, ‘쇼우죠노토모’ (아이들의 친구)의 의미이기도 하다. Q. 주로 패션을 미디어로 이용하기 때문에, 자칫 패션 디자이너라는 타이틀로 불릴 것 같다. 그런 경우가 종종 있다. 여러 매체에서 이미 나를 ‘패션 디자이너’로 소개했었다. 그러나 나는 단지 나의 아트를 담아내기 위해 옷을 이용하는 것뿐이라고 확실히 해두고 싶다. 패션계에서 아트를 하는 것과 아트에서 패션을 다루는 것은 큰 차이가 있다. 옷은 ‘일상적’인 필수품이고, 아트는 ‘비일상적’인 것이다. 사람들은 일상적인, 즉 자신과 친숙한 것을 접할 때 그것에 대한 마음을 열기가 쉽다. 내가 아트를 패션에 접목하는 것은 바로 이런 이유에서다. 패션을 통해 대중들이 내가 표현하는 메시지에 쉽게 다가갈 수 있다고 생각한다. 나에게 있어 ‘패션’은 메시지를 담아낼 수도, 그 메시지를 영향력 있게 전달 할 수도 있는 하나의 적절한 매체일 뿐이라고 생각한다. Q. 구체적으로 어떤 활동을 했는가? 2009년부터 2011년 5월까지 스웨덴의 국제 박물관에서 ‘753(일본 어린이 축제)’ 의 기모노를 사용해 ‘CHILD PLAY’를 표현했다. 이는 일본의 전통 문화와 현대의 패션을 표현하는 기획이었다. 나는 이 프로젝트에 개념적 아티스트(conceptual artist)로 참가했다. 또, 올 여름에는 미국의 래퍼, ‘NICKI MINAJ’가 나의 패션 작품을 아이템으로 사용했다. 최근 들어 해외에서 많은 섭외가 들어오고 있어 많은 사람들에게 작품을 선보일 기회가 늘고 있다. Q. 마지막으로 앞으로의 계획을 들려달라. 나는 외로운 ‘CHILD’들이 더 높이 뛰어오를 수 있도록 그들을 위한 유니폼을 만든다. 이를 통해 나 스스로와 다른 ‘CHILD’들을 응원한다. 그리고 ‘CHILD’들은 사람들의 주목을 받고, 사람들과의 애정을 서로 확인한다. 내가 이야기하는 ‘ 쇼우죠노토모의 CHILD PLAY’를 발견한다면, 너무 뜨거워서 탈지도 모르지만, 그들을 사랑으로 꼭 껴안아 주길 바란다. 2011년 10, 11월은 로스엔젤러스에서 두 개의 전시회를 열고, 또 2012년에는 <KIMONO FUSION vol.3>를 계획 중이다. 계속 많은 관심 부탁한다. www.shojonotomo.com

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collaboration

Hat designer

RANGGAN x YOMSNIL Graphic Artist

Our art director YOM and emerging hat designer Seo-hyun Jo created New Visual images! Editor. Anna Choi

From the 30 top No. 398 No. 387 No. 388

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From 31 the top No. 399 No. 315 No. 378

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From the 32 top No. 368 No. 328 4th hat for garments store

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Seohyun Jo

In the beginning, all I wanted to do was just go out and brag to the world that Korea too has an amazingly cool hat designer finally worth acknowledging. After the interview however, I now need to grab hold of those in their twenties struggling and rebelling to find their dreams and tell them the story of “Finding a Bluebird” from the hat designer Seohyun Jo.

Editor. Jean Choi Phtographer. Jun O Hwang

Q. Which hat designer do you respect the most? In hat making, one needs to know how to design, pattern, and do needlework. A person who knows how to do all these things is called a millinery. My favorite millinery is Rod Keenan. I’m also very interested in education, and the educator I respect the most is a person from Japan named Hirata. Japan is highly recognized in the hat industry today, because the Japanese have furthered the combined skills of traditional crafting and western hat-making for a very long time. After increasing his craft in hat-making, Hirata now works to train new apprentices in this field. It’s only natural to see that all the great hat-makers in Japan these days all have one thing in common: they’ve been trained by Hirata. He is truly a person to be admired. Q. What do you think is the most important aspect in designing and making a hat? A hat falls under fashion, not art. I think a lot about the flexibility and comfort of a hat in how it is worn or put on. If a person can’t wear it on his or her head, then it can’t be a hat.

Q. Why did you pick hats? You know, I never really knew what I was good at. In 2003, I visited Japan during a working holiday and got to visit a hat store in the Ueno Market. That was a really amazing experience. At that time, there were only a few stores in Korea that catered to selling only hats. I was innocently looking through local hat stores which I randomly found in some magazine, and it was at that moment I got the feeling that maybe ‘hats’ was the thing that I would be good at. At first, I told myself that I wanted to become the boss of my own hat store like the one in Japan, but then I gradually started gaining more interest in hand-made hat making and pattern designing. In 2006, I dropped out of the college I was attending and left for Japan to study hat making. Q. So did you have a lot of interest in hats even at a young age? Yes. I guess I’ve always liked hats. I didn’t really like copying the latest trend or wearing popular brand names because that’s what everyone else was wearing. Ten years ago, you could go to Itaewon and buy a baseball cap for 2,000 won. I would buy that cap, and glue on a 500 won skull patch, then paint the cap in a different color. It’s funny if I think about that now, but at that time I was really proud of myself for sticking that skull patch on the cap. That’s probably also the time when my love for hats had begun. Q. Where do you get the inspiration for your hats? Since I make custom-made hats, I usually get my inspiration from people. I meet and observe a lot of people and often think about what kind of hat would be most suitable for each individual. After analyzing someone’s lifestyle, fashion, favorite music, preferred foods, etc, I draw a picture for that person. I put in my everything when I’m making a customized hat so that the client will be 100% satisfied with the outcome.

Q. What kinds of obstacles or difficulties do you have in your profession? I sincerely believe that working in Korea and experiencing all the things I’m going through now are the processes that will help me mature as a hat maker. Due to the economy and the market’s stagnant growth, I am currently making hats that would appeal to the everyday shopper. However, the hats I like to design are not what the everyday shopper looks for. So as I continue to make everyday shopper hats, I begin to have doubts about myself. I guess my biggest struggle is that I can’t satisfy both sides, the public’s and mine, at the same time. Q. As a hat designer, what is your biggest dream? My dream is to become a master hat maker and open my own small atelier where I will be able to create custom-made hats and teach future aspiring hatters and milliners. I know I still have much to learn myself, but I am teaching a couple of students at the moment. Although designing is an innate talent in itself, such a talent will only be improved as it is honed by learning other practical skills. My students right now are not that good at making a hat, and I know why they’re not that good. The reason I know why they’re not good at making hats is because I went through the same problems they’re struggling with now. It’s an awesome feeling to have when you guide students with something they’re struggling with, and then see them create something even more amazing. Q. please explain the meaning of your brand name Ranggan. Ranggan is actually the name of a girl in a Korean mermaid legend. I came across this name while looking for ideas that would help me in designing a mermaid-concept hat. The name got stuck in my head as soon as I found it, and since it’s Korean and easy to pronounce I liked it even more. Perhaps it’s because of the legend, but the name had a mysteriously sad yet beautiful ring to it. I also liked the fact that the legend was passed on as an oral tradition. Through the word of mouth, a people can find out about my hats. Then when a client comes in to receive one of my hats, I would like for that client to feel the same joy as I did when I first heard the name Ranggan. www.ranggan.com

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creators

Lee Wan

In the gallery where I happened to dropped by, there lay bottles of water, mannequins, and plastic hoses etc. wrapped in tape. What on earth are these? My curiosity piqued, I phoned Artist Lee Wan instantly.

Editor. Anna Choi Photographer. Jun O Hwang

Q. How are the works of <How to become us> exhibition created? I weighed 60 objects, added the weight, divided them by 60 again and got an average weight of 5.06kg. Then we cut the 60 objects and put them together again, making 60 of 5.06kg objects. We started with 60 objects of various weights and averaged them out, and reproduced those objects at an equal weight. Q. Why did you use weight as a reference point of standardization? I used ‘mirror’ as a reference point in my last work. I sanded and polished a hammer, a shoe brush, and a weight etc. into shiny mirrors. When we gave everything a mirror-like quality, the objects turned out to be different from one another. Some became mirrors, whereas some didn’t become mirrors. Likewise, this time I used the reference of ‘Weight’. The objects have almost nothing in common. But when I made them all the same weight, I thought of the irresistible force of gravity. I adjusted each different object to have the same weight and simulated an equal state. Q. Indeed ‘Weight’ is a common element, but 5.06kg out of the average of 60 objects is an arbitrary value. Why did you use this value as a reference? I didn’t know that the value of 5.06kg would be the result either, but the overall value is ‘average weight’ and that can be a very fair reference, I think. For example, here are two people. I think that it is most important for two people to maintain a balance between them, or a fulcrum point in order for conditions to be fair between them. For this balance, they need a point of negotiation, and that is the ‘Average’. The objects made to be 5.06kg may not have the exact same status, but it can be fair within the context that I have set up.

Q. I think you didn’t cut up the objects only to make them the same weight. What was your intention in cutting them up? I wanted to see how the cutting up and destroying the objects changed their original shape and function. Originally, I thought that cutting the objects up would destroy their meaning or social value. But they were not destroyed. For example, a chair might be cut up so that it loses its function as a chair, or a statue of Buddha might be deprived of its religious function, but it doesn’t come to anything. Not only the mass but also the meaning of the object remains. When we see a cut-off piece of a chair, we still think of it as a cut-off piece of a chair’, but we don’t see it as just ‘the thing’. Even if it is cut off, it is still recognized as the part of ‘Chair’. Q. Then, when you recombine the cut-up objects, do you intend to combine ‘the meaning” of the objects? That’s right. I wanted to cut-up and recombine people’s preconceived notions of these objects. But it is difficult to do that. People see the things as they recognized them in the past. People see a cut-up statue of Buddha, and cut-up telephone poles, but they don’t see them as new objects with new meanings. They think that the statue of Buddha is pasted in this object, and they recognize the telephone pole is pasted. I felt interested that the recognition was not altered, and intended to show that objects could not really be broken. Though I cannot know clearly where this recognition came from, I think that it is irresistible. As we feel cold if it is cold, so we just react. These concepts can be the general motives of my work.

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