La Jetee 1962, Chris Marker, Image source wikipedia commons
1921-2012 Chris Marker
Forever remembering time travel in black and white.
Un-condensed rural 5.0
Western Lines
Androgynous-scape
Tethered to the past
unrealistic futures ahead
It is vista
that feeds imagination
and blurs recent memory
This road is a place of endurance
My roots
A reflection of constant
in Motion
Time has ancient wisdom here
Crosscuts before man
And after death
A series of lines
Carved in and suspended above earth
Structuring our west
condenCITY_94 temporary foundations
World expositions are an odd way, if not superficial method, of generating\ regenerating cities and urban areas in decline; a form of instantaneous urbanization and in the case of Yeosu, South Korea- the site of the 2012 World Exposition- it appears at face value as simple as adding water. A maritime overture is interesting in reflection of the areas history but has repositioned the industrial waterfront for an uncertain future. Suggestive materializations today are the temporary foundations for tomorrow.
condenCITY_93 modern perspectives
In 1986, the father of Korean modern Architecture passed away during the peak of his career at the untimely age of 55. Last year (May-July 2011) a retrospective exhibition of his works titled 'Dense Modernities' opened in Germany to the question- would Swoogeun Kim ever become globally known for his transformative contributions on the Korean peninsula? Perhaps in time the answer will emerge more definitively but for now, his aura remains predominantly domestic.
Swoogeun Kim completed over 200 works in Korea and abroad. His fledgling practice began controversially at Buyeo (south of Seoul) for the design of the national museum seen in the above images. The museum stirred controversy in its reflectance of what critics saw as Japanese influence. Having less than two decades separation from the end of Japanese colonial rule, the suggestive, if not symbolic design of the museum was enough to raise discontent. Still, Swoogeuns vision prevailed and today it stands testament to willful evolution.
The impassable homogeneity of Korean 'architecture' as it was, prior to modernizing efforts- Swoogeun forged a broadening vision- metaphorically and experientially. Carving away at the 'mass' he commanded views beyond borders. Swooguen looked to the outside and in doing so, brought a sequestered culture and population with him. His architecture remains to this day a model for resonant perspectives.
The impassable homogeneity of Korean 'architecture' as it was, prior to modernizing efforts- Swoogeun forged a broadening vision- metaphorically and experientially. Carving away at the 'mass' he commanded views beyond borders. Swooguen looked to the outside and in doing so, brought a sequestered culture and population with him. His architecture remains to this day a model for resonant perspectives.
Un-condensed rural 4.0
In Time
The crevice accepts the water freely
Feeding the undoing of everything
Beautiful.
Wood remains in decades wake
Hands Mark- stained by touch
Foot steps
deepen
In time
The house of aristocrats
The house of passing glances.
condenCITY_92 preservative measures
photos: b.oicherman\\ e.reeder
Recently I have been collaborating with color and light expert Boris Oicherman, a visiting artist in residence at the Chungdam Institute- supported in part by the Museum of Contemporary Art of Seoul. We have been experimenting with a material he has become quite familiar with in his studio- cellophane- and together have begun to consider the effects of site specific installations in the dense, aging neighborhoods of Seoul's industrial urban center.
Some of our first documented installation 'tests', seen here, are from my perspective an attempt to preserve 'city' via material interventions that promote heightened awareness through diverging contrast. Time will end for these dense network alleys, as Seoul moves forward- in blind obliteration- away from its tumultuous past. We can manage however to capture, with serendipitous effort- images, reflections, saturations otherwise overlooked- as measures preserved for time immemorial. Perhaps similar in the way we have become accustomed to preservation; wrapped and sealed.
Un-condensed rural 3.0
Heyri art valley is located to the north west of Seoul, just shy of the DMZ border. Planned as an artists live-work village it has become something of a commercial spectacle. Actually, suburban theme park comes to my mind, the more I return and experience the ebb and flow of 'customers' who visit in high volume on weekends and holidays- it is a place defined by being open and being closed, figuratively speaking. Heyri's North American suburban like planning, with meandering roads circling back to a single gated-community-entry, is dotted with modernist galleries, restaurants, residences, working studios and a few other out of the ordinary functions. Natural landscapes permeate vacant lots and surrounding hillsides- all appearing in wait for the next architectural surprise- but one has to hope that some of this remains 'open' to dormant speculation.
In Heyri, the sum of its pieces detract from the spirit of its whole. As place of creative discovery one is constantly distracted by competing architectural folly- even in recognizing the masterful results as some individual architectures have come to be. Beauty may lie individually, but excess can be blinding. Sometimes restrained silence is necessary: but what does this mean for the future of Heyri.. and after a decade of development and change has Heyri lost its way?
condenCITY_91 convenience
Accessible convenience is now pervasive in the modern metropolis, to the extent that chance has become harder to find.
Cold, hard light cuts through night street, striking and erasing color. Everything is rendered neutral in the florescent brightness of ubiquitous convenience. Stores littered across Seoul - on each block in multiples- equally unchanged they are, in accessible 24-hour instant communities. The new market for exchange, has conveniently supplanted diversity and repetitive expectation has stopped at just that- knowing exactly what you will find and what you get. That sweet, constant smell of preservative.
practice_ collaborative
Design practice defies time. The formative gestation over recent years have produced milestone accomplishments, successes, failures and the ongoing will to endure the challenges of what it means to be a designer in the environment. As a side note to all of this, CO|RE has officially launched online as of 04.2012.06 and the profiled works of our group can now be found here, in our pilot preview:
CORE collaborative
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