The Butcher’s Shop You Can Believe in
Iteractive installation, video, and performance
Collaboration with Sanha Lee and Semi Oh
Iteractive installation, video, and performance
Collaboration with Sanha Lee and Semi Oh
The Butcher’s Shop You Can Believe In is a group exhibition involving artists in Gunsan, a quiet seaside town in southwest Korea. I lived for about 8 months to conduct an artist residency program.
Gunsan was a prosperous fishing city until the late 1990’s when the world’s longest seawall was constructed off its coast. Surrounding mountains were carved up, immense mudflats were filled with sand, and concrete was poured to protect construction sites from the tides. New manufacturing jobs were promised but most residents did not have the engineering skills to fill those positions.
Ideas were solicited from local residents as to how Gunsan might be reconfigured, and the city was rearranged accordingly. Three artists acted as butchers to carve Gunsan. Like the many lives that were ruined, the sinews of the “developed” city were cut and its component parts “restored” as fragments.
Gunsan was a prosperous fishing city until the late 1990’s when the world’s longest seawall was constructed off its coast. Surrounding mountains were carved up, immense mudflats were filled with sand, and concrete was poured to protect construction sites from the tides. New manufacturing jobs were promised but most residents did not have the engineering skills to fill those positions.
Ideas were solicited from local residents as to how Gunsan might be reconfigured, and the city was rearranged accordingly. Three artists acted as butchers to carve Gunsan. Like the many lives that were ruined, the sinews of the “developed” city were cut and its component parts “restored” as fragments.
The Manufactured Myth
Medium: installation
Medium: installation
Believe in it. Don’t Believe in it : The Manufactured Myth of the Deep Freezer. Deep freezers are designed for cold storage of meat, fish, vegetables and other food stuffs. A clean and sterile deep freezer is a source of pride, a mark of high standards for quality and food safety. On the other hand, a butcher’s freezer can also be a space to hide mistakes, weaknesses, and evidence of having cut corners.
The Mythical Deep Freezer reflects Gunsan’s landscape which has been reshaped, as well as the livelihoods of Gunsan residents, which have been carved up. The myths that are fed to us become embedded in our consciousness and we believe in them, (un)knowingly.
This work has evolved from recording the boundaries between lies and truth, as well as witnessing the tragic evidence of people believing in lies that they wish were true. Therefore, I aimed to create lies that one wished were true to revisit these marginalized areas. I found myself growing happier while developing and displaying these absurd lies. My wish is that someone would allow themselves to believe in these fantastic ideas, make their way to these forgotten places and find meaning there.
The Mythical Deep Freezer reflects Gunsan’s landscape which has been reshaped, as well as the livelihoods of Gunsan residents, which have been carved up. The myths that are fed to us become embedded in our consciousness and we believe in them, (un)knowingly.
This work has evolved from recording the boundaries between lies and truth, as well as witnessing the tragic evidence of people believing in lies that they wish were true. Therefore, I aimed to create lies that one wished were true to revisit these marginalized areas. I found myself growing happier while developing and displaying these absurd lies. My wish is that someone would allow themselves to believe in these fantastic ideas, make their way to these forgotten places and find meaning there.
