How does a straight line feel? (GwangJu)
How does a straight line feel? (in collaboration with the May Mothers) brings together experiences that tend to be pushed away, while they are influential on states of being. If we become completely absorbed in the present, we quickly lose sight of the past, and our ability to make connections with the future is lost or fades from view. How can stories encourage a different way of thinking about and experiencing the world, thereby offering new imaginative power? How can the creation of experiential spaces be used to steer the horizons of language and communication in a new direction?
Light influences what we see and how we perceive it. New developments in lighting technology are transforming our experience of urban nightscapes, whilst the transition to LED lighting enables economic efficiency in agriculture and healthcare, but also influences human behaviour and well-being.
The ‘Mothers of May’ in Gwangju are a group of women who, since the Gwangju Uprising in 1980, have formed an organisation to come to terms with the trauma – both on a personal level and in terms of society and the community at large – caused by the uprising, which was met with violence by the military government. They have dedicated their lives to keeping the uprising in the public eye, thereby taking responsibility for the history of the young democratic state of South Korea.
Light influences what we see and how we perceive it. New developments in lighting technology are transforming our experience of urban nightscapes, whilst the transition to LED lighting enables economic efficiency in agriculture and healthcare, but also influences human behaviour and well-being.
The ‘Mothers of May’ in Gwangju are a group of women who, since the Gwangju Uprising in 1980, have formed an organisation to come to terms with the trauma – both on a personal level and in terms of society and the community at large – caused by the uprising, which was met with violence by the military government. They have dedicated their lives to keeping the uprising in the public eye, thereby taking responsibility for the history of the young democratic state of South Korea.
How does a straight line feel? (GwangJu)
They get together on a weekly basis to share their experiences and stories with others, as to prevent loss of memory related to the uprising. For the GwangJu Biennale, Bik Van der Pol have worked with the may Mothers to create an environment to transfer their regular collective activities to this space, thus creating a ground for sharing and activating their narratives in the biennale context.
The floor is of the space covered by hanji, a traditional paper. The design of the curtain and the grid of LED lights are based on the Korean language Hangul and pojagi . Together with the embroidered quilts they are a speculation on the relationship between the qualities of traditional Korean patterns, and the formal elements that compose the Korean alphabet. Light, textile and texture is proposed as both abstraction and that what forms language, to create an environment that affects experience through the influence of weaving, wavelengths, and the potential connective qualities of language and speech. In light of the future, resonating in this space, generating what is underexposed.
The activities by the May Mothers took place Monday and Wednesday 11am-14.30pm from Sept 5-Nov 6, except on public holidays. On other days, the platform is used by the artist-initiative Miti-Ugro and reading groups.
The floor is of the space covered by hanji, a traditional paper. The design of the curtain and the grid of LED lights are based on the Korean language Hangul and pojagi . Together with the embroidered quilts they are a speculation on the relationship between the qualities of traditional Korean patterns, and the formal elements that compose the Korean alphabet. Light, textile and texture is proposed as both abstraction and that what forms language, to create an environment that affects experience through the influence of weaving, wavelengths, and the potential connective qualities of language and speech. In light of the future, resonating in this space, generating what is underexposed.
The activities by the May Mothers took place Monday and Wednesday 11am-14.30pm from Sept 5-Nov 6, except on public holidays. On other days, the platform is used by the artist-initiative Miti-Ugro and reading groups.
