Way of Replay (Korea Artist Prize 2014)

An intense yellow track is presented before you. This atypical installation that commences at the entrance of the exhibition space resembles a cave with narrow entrance. This structure, composed of stairs, appears as if it is taking off and soaring. As you follow the path with your body slightly slouched, you run into several projection screens installed near the areas around the curves. I have never been this high up inside the museum. Heading toward the ceiling, my body tenses up like never before in an effort to keep my balance as well as my sense of coordination. The further I go, the more I realize that the trail in no way serves as a guide for the path to come. The moment I notice this, going back does not seem like an option.

Seeing that continuing forward is much easier than taking steps backwards, I arrive at the halfway point. A permanent wall has been erected at the center. Spanning the width of that wall, each step of the trick stairway that forms this structure conforms to create an illusion of a discontinued path; thus, these are stairs in form only. Glancing at the surroundings, I picture the amusement park rides that I used to enjoy as a child and I keep a keen eye on the flowing line of movement. This is not the conventional gallery scene. It feels as if the ceiling is suspended above my head. It becomes difficult to keep your back straight and you naturally begin to slouch. The scene of the space changes according to the standpoint of the audience. As both a participant and an observer, the viewer is able to reconfirm the space and objects through what is called parallax viewpoints.

No one observes the exhibition in exactly same way. Not before long, you encounter the second projection screen. My body instinctively swerves the instant I turn and encounter the second screen. It is a video of people on the rides at Seoul Land, and it is unclear whether the accompanying jumbled noises are screams or sounds of joy. I continue walking a bit further and arrive at the third screen; this is the final peak - the climax - of the track. If too tired, viewers have the option to stop here and get off the track. Otherwise, viewers can carry on toward the last spot. The minute you reach the last location, you face the last screen, as if you have come across a cul-de-sac. Each viewer begins this exploration with a camera secured on his or her head, and the video on the screen displays the path - the journey - that each individual has just taken. I complete this journey by jumping off the track.

Chung Yeon Shim, The Way of Replay by Koo Donghee: Amusement and Vertigo, Korea Artist Prize 2014 (National Museum of Modrern and Contemporary Art), 2014, p. 24.

This project was designed and supervised by the principal architect, Seohong Min from MMKM associates in order to implement the installation work of the artist Donghee Koo, who was selected as one of the four nominees of Korea Artist Prize 2014, managed by National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art and sponsored by SBS .

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