The artist group Intermedia Chef captures the experience of South Korea’s younger generation through our sound installation work, _The Half_. “We are speaking up about the ambiguity we feel towards North Koreans, a feeling that is based on our history of division, which started at the end of World War II, and the political gridlock that ensures we remain divided. The Korean War changed many things and the saddest is 60 years of separation between families who have not yet reunited.”

One member of our group, Jaewan Choi, has personally experienced this historic tragedy. Knowing about his grandfather’s brother in North Hamgyong province, Choi also wonders about the rest of his family members in the other half. Whatever sympathy or longing we have regarding reuniting both halves of the country, we are supposed to view people in North Korea as national enemies. This is what we have all learned through our education and life experience, including our mandatory military service. This contradiction between our emotional attitude and social background is the basis of our sound installation _The Half_.

In the first place, our discussions about visualizing the specific historical background had always ended up in frustrating and unclear conclusions. Then we decided to use 3D kinetic typography to make our creative ideas visually clear and effective. We created a 25-letter pixelated typography made from 100 speaker units, which produce sound waves with archived mass media material. The sound waves become visible by the use of flour, and eventually the letters spell out the sentence “Growing Gap Between the Halves.” The complete work connotes a message of the divided ethnic groups and isolated experience in two different countries. Despite the clear message, the work still includes the slight uncertainty and ambiguity we feel towards the other half. And this is what we ultimately try to address with our project.


Links: https://vimeo.com/62248561

Supervisor: Unzi Kim (Chief Director, DATA+ Lab. The The Graduate School of Advanced Imaging Science, Multimedia and Film, CHUNG-ANG University)

Creative Team : Jaewan Choi (Creative Direction / Artist), Dongjo KIm (Planning Support ; Software and Hardware / Artist ), Woncheol Lee (Technical Development), Jinhyung Park (Graphic and Production Design)

Hye Won Chie : Creative Development

Eun Soo Choi: Document Video Filming and Photo Shooting

Hyeon Jeong Na: Technical Support

Walpa D'mark: Proof Reading

Intermedia Chef (Jaewan Choi, Dongjo Kim, Wonchul Lee and Jinhyung Park) (KR). From diverse academic and professional backgrounds, they first met each other at Data+ Lab. in the Graduate School of Advanced Imaging Science, Multimedia and Film, Chung-Ang University (GSAIM). They were interested in interdisciplinary research based on digital interaction and its application and were trying to explore dynamic artwork generated by computer-controlled sound in the aspect of data visualization leading sound waves to a physical source. Furthermore, they are aiming to turn the sound-wave energy into a kinetic type of visual art.

Woncheol Lee (Intermedia Chef, technical director) studied visual and video design at the Dong-ah Institute of Media and Arts, with a BA in media design. Currently he is focusing on interactive media artworks using motion sensors and 3D projection mapping techniques researching audiovisual artwork using resonance phenomena. 

Jinhyung Park (Intermedia Chef, designer) received his BA in visual communication design at Hanbat National University. He is working on numerous projects as a user-interface designer and currently freelances as a graphic designer. He is also a media artist, producing many kinds of interactive artwork.

Jaewan Choi (Intermedia Chef, creative director) studied illustration in a BFA at the Art Center College of Design and switched to sculpture and installation art in an MFA at Claremont Graduate University. He founded the Adhesive Art & Design Studio with international designers. Currently he is working on sculpture using invisible physical energy source such as sound waves in terms of spatial relationships at the GSAIM doctoral course.

Dongjo Kim (Intermedia Chef, artist) received a BFA at Sunchon National University Department of Image Design and received his master’s and doctor’s degrees at GSAIM, Chung-Ang University. Most of his artwork is focused on physical interactions with audiences. His work represents his calm personality as a writer, being dominated by small movements rather than rough interactions.