Three “dots,” One “bang” and a Story of Refugees - Interview with Mr. Jangwon Choi (1)

Three “dots,” One “bang” and a Story of Refugees - Interview with Mr. Jangwon Choi (1)

Yumin Elizabeth Lee & Shine Jung

Citizen Journalists, Refugee Week Korea 2013

Bang [baːng] (Korean: 방)

n. room, depending on the context of this article it can also be read as “space” or “area.” According to Mr. Choi,

bang could be both (1) individualistic and/or (2) social/societal, depending on its unique circumstances.

Prologue

       The Cafe Residency** “Takeout Drawing”* is located near to Noksapyeong metro station, ten minutes by walking. (Address: 637 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul) Since the first day of this June, there has been an special exhibition: “Journey ‘Bang’” This exhibition takes two main concepts, “dots” and “bang”; they will show up in a different angle by communicating via special event at the Refugee Week Korea 2013. It was a relaxing Sunday evening when the two “dots” visited Mr. Jangwon Choi, the architect-artist of this exhibition.

Q: Greetings, Mr. Choi. First of all, could you briefly introduce yourself?

       Hello, I am Jangwon Choi, a young architect. I just started in this field, and have many thought [to approach how I’d try different things]. When people hear ‘architecture,’ it might appear somewhat difficult. I started asking how I could use architecture as a way to communicate effectively [with the people], and then I found some methods such as exhibitions or drawing. Therefore I kept brainstorming about other ways [to communicate]... It’s been two months since I went on this “journey.” It’s been only a month since I prepared for “Journey ‘Bang’,” but I am showing some outcome as I [arrived] half-way, and I hope to receive more feedback from more audience for the rest of this month so that I could take them as my new initiatives/inspiration for my career [as an architect.]

Q: The title of this exhibition is “Journey ‘Bang’” - it’s very intriguing to see these two themes, “dots” and “bang.” How did you find such concepts as your motifs?

       This “Journey ‘Bang’” has been worked on by two of us (with Ms. Chung), however, this theme of a “dot” is brought to this project by me. The inspiration of the “dot” was from my visit to “NANCEN(abbreviation of “난민인권센터(pronounced as [Nan-min In-gweon Center], definicion “Center for the Rights of the Refugees”)”).

       “In fact, there are so many rooms in the world as [I] was on this “Journey ‘Bang.’” For example, all of our rooms differ individually, and as you keep finding out about more rooms [in variation], you might find a societal room... [One thing I found interesting was that] all those people who live in such different rooms did not seem that different.

       Regardless of materialistic conditions, reputation or wealth, all those individuals could be that identical “dots.” With that context, the perception of the ‘bang,’ homes, or buildings we live in [without much thinking] could look very different from our own [perception]. “Had we asked such questions [in life]?” - that question made me wonder my past education, work experiences and career path as an architect. Many people are constructing [new] building, creating ‘bangs,’ but do [those people] ask this question about the “dots” living in the ‘circle?’ That was when [I] started thinking about various spaces/areas and the people who reside in such places.

       [Like I stated before,]the motif of the “dot” was from my visit to NANCEN; I saw this small frontyard area, which had a triangular shape. It was an area left out there, and people of the neighborhood parked their cars [illegally.] I thought that it could be a good space to recreate; it could be useful ‘bang’ for people of NANCEN, refugees[who visit NANCEN], and even to the neighbors [who can share the area together]. The chief of NANCEN wanted me [as an architect] to renovate the old building of NANCEN, although [to me] there were limits for gradual remodeling [of NANCEN building.]

       ““I felt that most of NANCEN’s activities were happening in the building, which [might have] restrained the outgroup to communicate better. [Maybe it might be that way due to the characteristics of the refugees, or protection of the individual information.] “Maybe that frontyard could be recreated and turn into a more welcoming area, which could help those people [out there] open up their hearts and start approaching for dialogue,” I thought, and I had a keen look on that abandoned space.”

       In the middle of brainstorming I connected the end of that triangular frontyard to the NANCEN building, creating the shape of a square pyramid. I looked that “dot” at the end of the triangle as a representation of the refugees; as [I] reflected their existence on the wall, I thought that the existence of such people could imply many things to us. They came to Korea as they had to cross their borders [as a first wall to confront, due to the imminent dangers they had in their own country]. To them I hoped that NANCEN could be a wall, which could be a path to show their existence, rather than an exclusive, opposing obstacle. It could work as a collective circle made out of many little “dots,” delivering their own, different stories. That was when I started reaching my thoughts further to the project that could start with “dots,” create the “circle” and eventually turn into a spatial “sphere.”

Q: How did you find yourself working with Takeout Drawing, and Ms. Yerang Chung, the co-artist [of this exhibition]?

       I applied for the cafe residency at Takeout Drawing; Ms. Chung and I were selected as one of the four teams [which will have the exhibition at Takeout Drawing] this year. There could be other forms of exhibitions and projects, but I specifically chose Takeout Drawing; I liked the way I could share the progress [of my exhibition] as well as it was relatively eary to monitor [the feedback] steadily, which is different from other galleries which focus only on the result. To me, Takeout Drawing was a venue that I could meet many different people, such as those who work at NANCEN, or those who were helping out for the right of residence [especially for some areas in Yeongdeungpo, where people live in very small rooms].

    I met Ms. Yerang Chung last fall via this program called “Public Art” at Arko Art Center; we applied for it individually and met as a team. We worked together as architects, and later on we thought about working on the same project [again] to some point. So here we are now.

Q: You briefly told us about your visit to NANCEN when we discussed the two themes, of “dots” and “bangs.” Well then, as we talk about connecting the concept of refugees to your actual art pieces, was it before, or after your visit [to NANCEN]? If it were before the visit, [since when] were you interested in this issue?

    It was a really intriguing experience that [I got to] visit NANCEN. I mean, to be honest, the idea and/or existence of the “refugees” is not that known to the general public. [Most people] don’t even know who [refugees] are; they easily confuse the words between “refugees” and “fugitives” - all these vocabularies and definitions. [I can’t blame since] I also got to know better about the refugees through this project. I could get to know this project [with NANCEN] throuth Ms. Soyeon Choi (Director of Takeout Drawing), who suggested me [to do it]. At that time [Ms. Choi] told me about her visit to NANCEN; there were people out there who did not have their “bangs,” and they created a social “bang” to consolidate one another. Maybe she thought that I could show them some different angles [of thoughts, as an architect], and help out.. 

“After visiting NANCEN every person looked like an individual “dot” – people on the street [as dots], someone who’s pregnant as a dot with another dot [the baby in her womb]… We all looked the same, like dots.”

       To the perspective of refugees, there were the dots who had to escape from their own country to avoid threats, however, maybe even one of us could easily find ourselves being refugees to some point. Even if we don’t cross the physical borders [to run away from one’s nation], there are people out there [even in Korea] who lost their status of life, or were isolated by their acquaintances. I think I could call such people as “psychological refugees.” [I think that we don’t even have to] distinct ourselves from those refugees, calling them “the social weak.” Maybe we do have the possibility to be on the same boat with them, and that was what really moved me.

Q: Among your works, you used symbolic representations for certain kind of ‘bangs’ [and individuals/social groups which own such bangs] such as ‘A Bang of a Taxi Driver’. If you’d create ‘A Bang of a Refugee’, what would be like?

       I would rather be discrete to talk about it. I am still on the progress, and I am trying to fill the [Bang of a Refugee] through this exhibition. I am not sure how the front yard of NANCEN would be like, either. Those projects are not necessarily separated.... Actually, my projects are indeed somewhat connected, as [I am planning] on how to install spatial objects [at the provided space] or to plan on [different ways of] running the event at Gwanghwamun Square.

       As a matter of fact, It is very cautious for me to interpret a problem, connecting a space to refugees themselves. I am not certain if I can truly understand them as an individual first [before perceiving them as an artist] and I do not wish to impose my my views as a generalization [of the group.] It makes me think a lot about the issue. Maybe I might be able to borrow the forms of an individual interview [with a refugee] / text or abstract drawing [to form the spatial understanding of a refugee's bang], as a matter of "how to show [in the form of art]." [To me] this project is not to resolve [this issue]; [what I am trying to do at this point is] to come up with this question, [which is:] how we could [encourage more people to] start thinking about [the refugee issue].” I hope my audience could get this message [from my artworks.]

Q: Do you have a message to deliver to the people who have not known about refugees or refugees who are trying to find new ‘Bangs’ as ‘dots’ who are losing their own ‘bangs’?

       In my opinion, this question reflects spatial and symbolic parts of the event for the Refugee Week [Korea 2013.] At the first time, when I was told to participate for this special event, I was trying to focus on the soft, friendly approach to encourage people [so that they can] listen to the story of the refugees better by using the form of the "dots," rather than putting an arbitrary-looking [symbolic] objects at this urban area, Gwanghawmun Square.

       Those balls at Gwanghwamun square will be called by different names of colors such as blue, red, etc. rather than the names of each refugee. Each ball contains a specific story of a refugee.... These balls do not have designated paths. When they are pushed a little bit, they can roll to many different ways. Maybe we might see those people as somebody of an outgroup, however, there are big potentials for such balls to various paths to go if we [start listening to them] with interests and try to help them, like we push the balls. Many people do not have a interest to this subject about refugees. However, I believe that Seoul could be a trigger [to get started]; I want to show that refugees are not alone and people are trying to communicate to them. I want to show that we are trying to approach to them as there are more than ten organizations participating for this Refugee Week [Korea].

(To be continued to Part 2)

http://korearefugeeweek.tistory.com/47

Additional explanation of Takeout Drawing* and Cafe Residency**
(Credit to: Web Links to Takeout Drawing, indicated below - Contents were translated by citizen journalists)

Takeout Drawing 
& museum 

"Takeout Drawing & Museum is a museum built upon making a single statement on drawing."

www.takeoutdrawing.com

www.facebook.com/takeoutdrawing

Takeout Drawing introduces works of artists in the subject, ‘Drawings that Change the World’.

Artists open their progress of works about their topic, staying for two months as a residency in Iteawon and Hannam.

At Takeout Drawing we take “drawing” as a main theme; by introducing different [artistic] pieces, we support drawing and try to find out how we can practice drawing together. ‘Drawings’ take out of the galley into the world. The purpose is to practice this concept by participating partially after visiting the exhibit. One of the concept of ‘Drawing Center’ becomes not only the space for the exhibition, but also the space like a cafe that exists for revitalizing drawing in a rocal.

 

Café Residency

Cafe residency is a program that offers a creative space of artists for two months. As a medium on a public space as a cafe, rather than an institutional space, cafe residency can naturally introduce creative actions to the public, so that the audience can focus on the process of creative actions, rather than a completed artwork.