ENGLISH

Foreward:
In the Laboratories of Modern Prometheus(es) 
  
Dongyeon Koh  
April 26 - May 13, 2012. Insa Art Space, Seoul  
   
The question of how science can expand the scope of artistic expression in contemporary art has already been much debated. The curatorial and critical approach toward the influence of scientific knowledge and technological advancement in art, however, has been overly concentrated on the improvement of the audiences' cognitive abilities through the use of scientific media. Oftentimes, media related exhibitions have been replete with euphemisms toward video media or interactive apparatuses. It becomes commonplace that majority of media arts--where viewers and artists allegedly meet--have manifested an excessively utopian perspective toward art and science collaboration. The dominant curatorial approach toward media art so far, thus, have shown themselves to be limited when it comes to reflecting subliminal, yet important tendency among younger generation of artists who take a cynical stance toward science. 
  
This exhibition is located at the point of contact between science, humanities and social criticism, rather than scientific media and apparatuses. Seojoon  Lee, Jaeyoung Park, and Jongha Choi, the artists to be featured in the exhibition, are distinct from the more common type of media artists using visual and technological equipments. The notable methods appropriated by these artists are less to do with spectacular, comprised of easy-to-watch video images. Although they do use expert scientific knowledge and systematic methodologies, the outcomes of their works are actually based upon low-techs. In many cases, moreover, their aims, in using such expert knowledge, appear to be absurd. Seojoon Lee, for instance, has consulted old evolutionary models and Renaissance-era blueprints to study the future of humanity. To Jaeyoung Park, "credible statistics" endorsed by scientists, cutting edge equipment and "successful" scientists are rather subjected to scrutiny. According to Jongha Choi, the dominant mechanical structures energy sources for most of the advanced machines and gadgets used in our everyday turns out to be irrational or, worse, harmful for humanity. Here, Choi devised his "Indie Machine(s)," which appear to be inconvenient and does not even work properly, at least, yet ultimately, corresponds more closely to his own necessity and desire. 
  
In the exhibition space, however, appropriating the proper method of reflecting the controversy as well as the advancement of diverse scientific theories, knowledge and thoughts as adopted by contemporary artists is far from being an easy task. The artists develop their works based on long research, advance work and study, but most of these processes have been left out of the exhibition and not for public display. Instead, viewers end up with finding themselves admiring the beautiful artistic installation of Seojoon Lee's "Future Human Project," the sparkling surfaces of the electronics in Jaeyoung Park's "Downright" and the odd wood grain of Jongha Choi's "Indie Machine." For the audience can be more easily attracted to and stimulated by some familiar notions of sculpture and material artistic production--rather than the process itself. 
  
Thus, unlike the dominant trend in planning media art exhibitions, this exhibition aims to present artists' working methods and related scientific knowledge in the form of an archive, using the concept of an artists' "research laboratory." This curatorial undertaking is meant to induce viewers to pay more attention to novel ideas and creative processes themselves, as proposed by these artists—not being confined with their fascination with their art works themselves as final outcomes. It is also meant to demonstrate that the creative processes of art begin with very complex and diverse thoughts borrowed from different arenas of arts and humanities as well as of science. 
  
This exhibition also raises questions regarding the ambiguous significance of the archive. The archive is enjoying increasing popularity as the importance of "processes" surpassed that of artistic outcomes in contemporary art over the past decades. Above all, archive-based methods were adopted to expand the scope and intensity of interactions and communication between the artist and the audience. The archives on display, however, still feature only precious and special objects, literally chosen by the artist. Archive-based exhibitions, despite symbolizing the openness of contemporary art, awaken us to the fact that a distance inevitably remains between the artist and the audience. This is largely due to the idea that an artist's archive remains not as an easy or convenient subject for the lay public, but as something amazing, distinctive, and, of course, arcane. It is unclear, moreover, that what constitute the appropriate limits of the artist's archive. "What are the proper boundaries of artistic or scientific archives that inspire artists, as well as who determines these limits?" The problems with the openness of archives used and chosen by artists themselves - whether in terms of how artists can relate to their archives to the viewers or how they limit their archive - is another focal point of this exhibition that the audience are invited to ponder. 
  
  
  
Seojoon Lee's beau+gly Laboratory, 
Future Humanity Welfare
  
1st Floor 
  
Seojoon Lee has been preoccupied with the role of art in the process of origin and destiny of humanity with the destruction of the planet Earth. For this, Lee is conducting a Future Humanity Welfare Project as he is staying in Canada. This project belongs to another level of present day evolutionary stage, and Lee's plan is to launch his planning proposal for the future mankind to the Planet, 'Europa,' Jupiter's 4th moon, along with Ganymede. Modern astrologists and scientists believe that the particular physical condition of the Europa makes it as one of the most possible candidates for the home of future generation of the mankind for the Europa will likely have the ideal atmosphere for human survival once the icy surface become melted. 
  
In addition, he has set his hypothesis for the union of the evolution theory and the doctrine of creation in the Bible. Lee's diagram is inspired by the Sixteenth Century Italian architect Donato Bramante's floor plan of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. Premised under the assumption ('If the earth ends'), Lee employs religious iconographies, which might be considered outmoded or less related to "advanced" modern technology and design. The artist ultimately strives to poses the pivotal question—that is, can the old biblical paradigm meet with the atheistic evolutionary theory? Along with his blueprint for the future humanity, which includes his design of food, houses, and scenario for the human's evolution in Europa, his research materials and detailed plan for the artificial satellite to the Europa are also exhibited 
  
CHECKLIST 
‹Holy Communion›, Model and Installation, 2012 
‹BBC Documentary on the virtual scenario of the Earth's collapse›, Video, 2012 
‹Europa›, Blueprint, 2011-12 
‹Rocket User Manual›, Archive, 2012  
‹Future Humanity Project Origination Preliminary Plan›, Archive, 2012  
‹Artist Model archive›, Model Archive, 2012 
‹Europa Landing Gear›, Mixed-media and Installation, 2012 
  
KEY TERMS
Communion: As the body of Christ according to the Christianity, it is also a
kind of nourishment for the future humanity.
Europa: It is one of the moons of Jupiter, first discovered by Galileo in 1610.
The surface of the Europa is covered with ice, but the stratum below is occupied with water that constant speculations on extraterrestrial life have been brought up. Lee wants to load the plan about future generation in the satellite that will be launched to the Europa planet.
Rocket User Manual: Archive of Instructions on Rocket launching to Europa 'Future 'Humanity Project Origination Preliminary Plan': A preliminary plan for the future generations, which will newly begin after the fall of the earth.
Artist Model Archive: A corkscrew used to experiment the landing gear of the
Europa, a toy, and paper model of Archimedes made to test the form of the communion. This model was designed when the artist was feeding
his fish. It is also a form of food which will be given to the future generation.
   

 ‹Europa Landing Gear›, Mixed-media and Installation, 2012 (Installation View)
Jaeyoung Park's DOWNLEIT, Auto-hypnosis Machine
  
2nd Floor 
  
Park Jaeyoung has tried to challenge the authoritative power of modern science. The artist is confident that modern science has emerged to replace the mythic aura and status that traditional religion used to enjoy--before the rise of modernization in both East and West. At his own DOWNLEIT laboratory, he devised the "DOWNLEIT ELECTRONICA" with an aim of testing the modern science's placebo effect. For the exhibition, he constructs the lab throughout the three different sections; first section consisted of a range of books and fake machines made of recycled mechanical parts from an old sewing machines, radio, and television. These items demonstrate Park's process of creating his own machine out of old and perished technology. At the same time, the machine reveals his interest in particular frequency that has certain psychological effects on humans. The second Section is straightforwardly about the real history and resistance of the group who believe themselves as victims of the Governmental control. ‹Record of Mind- control victim Y› shows the victim's story and evidence of the mind control weapon that dictates human brain and psychology with electromagnetic waves in both Korea and history. The final section is comprised of an interactive installation through which the audience can experience the soothing effects of colors, odors, and a measure of moisture to get to know their own mental state that can be easily manipulated and controlled by certain artificial environments and devices.
  
  
Park's archive and installations, in all, aims to constitute an environment through which either to experiment with or to make the audience become more conscious of pseudo scientific ideas inour everyday lives—between calculable modern scientific achievements and people's incalculable, illogical and sometime harmful belief on modern science. 
  
  
CHECKLIST      
‹Artist's Desk›, Mixed media and installation, 2012  
‹Record of Mind-control victim Y›, Archive, 2011 
‹Auto-hypnosis machine›, Mixed media and installation, 2012 
  
KEY TERMS
1. Artist's Desk: An archive of mind control and hypnosis reference books 
that the artist mainly looked into and numerous machines made for the mind control testing will be arranged.  
2. Record of Mind-control victim Y: Offers the data of a victim who claims 
that the national government took advantage of mind controlling him and the video data from the victim organization's webpage. 
3. Auto-hypnosis Machine: Auto-hypnosis machine has the function of 
hypnotism applying the 'Aroma Therapy' and 'Meditation' using odor. Also, the computer possesses a program that induces hypnotism. 
The audience could investigate the self-hypnosis process using the cylindrical shaped machine. 



‹Artist's Desk›, 2012,Mixed-media, 2012 
Installation of Mind-control victim Y Archive and Other Referential Materials, 2012

Jongha Choi's Indi-Machine Laboratory,
Cancellation Machine
 
Basement
 
Jongha Choi creates his own machines out of his personal needs, defying the idea of modern technology deeply rooted in commercial and populist purposes and aims. His ‹Cancellation Machine›, for instance, came out of his recent experience and fear; the machine was originally named after the old Korean proverb--"Be careful of what you ask for since your word, once uttered, sometimes become the seed (of evil)." He certainly knows that this machine is nothing to do with any real scientific hypothesis and proof; but at least, this desire to create the real machine--if the lever is lowered, the
sound of "Chu-i" - "So" ("Cancel" in Korean) will come out—is very useful and meaningful to improve his psychological state. The idea is that he can go back to the fundamental stage for the human's creations of devices and later
machines: The machine for everyday usage and immediate needs—even if they are trivial and less grandeur in nature.
 
 
Choi has been devising his machines for years; ‹Cigarette Machine› automatically opens the blind and ventilates when a person sits on the chair to smoke, which is perfect for lazy smokers. He has also recycled CD players, radios, speakers, and other remnants of audio components in order to complete his own audio set; this can be done with his labors and junk items that he usually collected from his own schools and other junk yards. The idea originates from his destitute financial circumstances when he was in high school. The archive on display also attests his other collection of mechanical devices and machines; his research materials show how carefully he has been in recording his personal needs and the ideas for inventions in his everyday lives. Sometimes, he can go back to the history of forgotten scientists, notably the Australian inventor and Biomimicry experimenter Viktor Schauberger(1885-1958). Choi enables us consider what level of technology and machine is best suitable for us: 'What is the most appropriate level of scientific technology for the current situation of the society and people, disregarding commercialism?' He seems to open our horizon to rethink about
the beginning of human devices and technological developments in keeping with the concept of "appropriate technology," as proposed and advocated by modern scientists, philosophers of science, and even social activists.
 
 
CHECKLIST

‹Manual (Cancellation Machine)›, Archive, Drawing, 2012
‹Archive 1: Cancellation Machine Mechanism›, Paper and Mixed-media, 2012
‹Archive 2: Articulator, Data›, Paper and Mixed-media, 2012 ‹Cancellation Machine›, Mixed media and Installation, 2012
 
 
ARCHIVE
‹Golden Ratio›, Drawing, Book Archive, 2011-12
‹Indi-Machine Archive›, Video, 2012 ‹Medieval Ages Map Archive›, 2012
 
 
KEY TERMS
Cancellation Machine: When you use the long lever to put the stick into
the recycle bottle with 'Chui' 'So' written on it, you hear the "chui-so" sound.
Golden Ratio 1: As 1.16108, spiral with golden ratio, extracted from nature
like a pine cone, it resembles the water helical pattern, claimed by the Australian Biomimicry experimenter Viktor Schauberger.
Articulator: The artist studied human oral structure and gathered research
data to create similar wavelength of the sound, 'Chui' 'So,' respectively.
 

 ‹Golden Ratio›, Drawing, Book Archive, 2011-12 


Artists' CV
 
 
 
Seojoon Lee (b.1972)
zeppetto72@hotmail.com
  
EDUCATION
2007 M.F.A Graduated School, Seoul National University
2004 B.F.A Fine Art College, Seoul National University  
SOLO EXHIBITION
2010 The Monster Project in Helsinki-Seoul, HIAP project room, Helsinki
2010 The Moneter Project in Seoul-Helsinki_ K & gallery, Seoul
2008 Home & Away, National Museum of Art, Korea
2008 The Monster Project in Helsinki_HIAP project room, Helsinki 2006 The Beaugly Laboratory: Public day, Gallery DUKWON, Seoul  
GROUP EXHIBITION
2012 In the Laboratories of Modern Prometheus(es): Seojoon Lee, Jaeyoung
Park, Jongha Choi, Insa Art Space (Art Council Korea), Seoul
2011 Kimchongyoung Award Exhibition, Kimchongyoung Museum , Seoul
2009 Hybridization, Nanji Art Studio, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul 2008
SeMA 2008(Selected emerging Artist), Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul
2008 REversion part 2-imagine, Gallery IHN, Seoul
2007 Exciting Art Museum-Imagination Station, Gyeong Nam Art Museum, Korea
2007 Noah's ark, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Gwachon  
RESIDENCY & AWARD
2011 Kimchongyoung Award, Seoul
2009 Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture Artist, Seoul
2008-09 NanJi Art Studio (Residency), Seoul
2008 Helsinki international Artist Program H.I.A.P, Helsinki
2007-08 4th Long-term Artist, National Art Studio (Residency), Korea
2006 Art Council Korea 'NEW START PROGRM,' Seoul
 
 
 
Jaeyoung Park (b. 1981)
Downliet.park@gmail.com
  
EDUCATION
2009 Completed M.F.A at Seoul National University, Seoul
2007 Received B.F.A at Seoul National University, Seoul  
SOLO EXHIBITION
2011 Downliet Electronics, Brain Factory, Seoul
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITION
2011 Up in the Air: From Yeoido to Incheon, Ilmin Art Museum, Seoul.
2011 City net Asia, Seoul City Museum, Seoul
2011 Retro, Dukwon Gallery, Seoul
2010 Big Brother, Kuroria Gallery, Seoul
2009 Shinho-Tan, Kimusa (National Museum of Contemporary Art), Seoul
2008 Bokaisen Studies, Dukwon Gallery, Seoul
2008 Between the real and fiction, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul
 
 
  
Jongha Choi (b. 1983)
w89stone@naver.com
  
EDUCATION
2008 BA, Sculpture, Seoul National University, Seoul
2011 MFA Sculpture, Seoul National University, Seoul  
SOLO EXHIBITION
2010 Indi Machine, Dukwon Gallery
2011 Proper Consequence, Balmoral, Bad Ems, Germany  
GROUP EXHIBITION
2010 Confront, KEPCO Center, Seoul
2011 Purpose of Routine, Pohang Museum of Steel Art, Pohang, Korea
2011 Propose 7, Guemho Museum, Seoul 2011 Translate, Korea Foundation, Seoul
2012 In the Laboratories of Modern Prometheus(es), Insa Art Space, Seoul
2012 A Machine That Would Go of Itself, Art Space Hue, Paju, Korea  
RESIDENCY
2011 National Museum of Contemprorary Art, 7TH Goyang Studio, Korea
2011 Kunstlerhaus Schloss Balmoral, Germany
2012 Seoul Museum of Art, 6th Nanji Studio, Seoul