Three “dots,” One “bang” and a Story of Refugees - Interview with Mr. Jangwon Choi (2)

Three “dots,” One “bang” and a Story of Refugees - Interview with Mr. Jangwon Choi (2)

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.

The conversation of three ‘dots’ went on; we were on the same page of emphathy beyond the concects of ‘dots’, ‘bang’, and ‘refugee.’ Two of us ‘dots’ would like to further articulate on the story of the philosophical and artistic ‘journey’ with Mr. choi on Part 2. 

 

Q: We saw your simple biography before we came over for an interview. It said that you would like to continue working on ‘changing the thoughts of people and the world.’  What do you want to change concretely?

The work that I am doing now is quite different than what I learned at school and what I did in the field. Some of architects are dubious to my new approach, but some young students support me and are willing to provide feedback, which I could keep in mind for my future artwork. [For example,] there is this work called ‘Same but Different Room.’. If you use a ruler with the frames of the circles, you can draw a circle along the border without a central point. When we construct a building, we can make it beautiful by focusing on the visuals only. In this case, even after the building is completed, there would be lack of understanding about who are going to live and how they live in there. [By this analogy of the framed ruler]I wanted to throw a question about this architectural culture, which people simply build structures without understandings of 'dot'

　　　I used a compass for my drawings. When you are drawing a circle with a compass you spin it with a fixed central point. After using the compass, the dot remains on the paper, although it might be hazy. I want to keep thinking about the ‘dots’ and work on connecting [such thoughts] spatially. Although this work does not formulate into objects now, I hope that [my works] could provide the chance to consider how people understand [other people and/or society], and are understood on the societal context.

Q: Do you have a certain message that you'd like to continue conveying to the people, as an artist and an architect?

　　　One of my working mechanisms is called ‘Thirty Minutes Drawing.’ A content of such works could be a social space or personal space. For example, the person who talks to me explains about the room that he lives. The room can be the room of the past, the present, or the future, that he wants to live, with hopes and dream. While I was listening to the story, we can imagine the room together. For a while, I travel to his room as his companion, like his friend.

“ Even though it might not be perfect, I try to communicate as well as to draw based on the  conversation with him for thirty minutes,... bogging his story down. Even though I use my hand and pencil, it becomes a drawing that we draw together on the table face to face, instead I draw by myself in my workroom,  

　　　This program and action itself meant a lot to me. One of friends who worked with me is a storyteller of ‘The Bang of Olive.’ Through the conversation I had with this friend, I hoped that he had a time to think about his dream and future that he kept in mind. It does not mean that I would ‘lead and enlighten [the people.]’ Through this program, I hope that people have a time to think and find their own paths.

A movie, Pay it Forward (2000), was a motif of ‘Thirty Minutes Drawing.’ In the movie, a boy does three actions in order to change the world. He changes other characters around him with his little actions and efforts. It forms a butterfly effect as one person helps another and he/she helps the other, like a domino effect in order. ‘Thirty Minutes Drawing’ affects my own self [partially] and my other works.

방의 관계도_30분 드로잉, 칠판위에 분필

출처: 테이크아웃드로잉

　　　I expressed this via one of my artworks, called "Map of Journey 'bang'" on a chalkboard. It is a work that can read on a drawing, gathering each “bang,” which brings many feelings. The work that I want to do is the beginning without knowing if it would be a success or a failure; it might be a small wriggle of an individual. However, by taking the initiaitive to inspire a person, I hope that person could deliver a different message to others, [creating a butterfly effect eventually].

Q: Why, and how, did you think of merging the form of art into architecture?

　　　Because there are many other architects out somewhere, creating more sophisticated and stylish buildings, it is hard to say [if I am that] artistic. However, because of “my contemplation about communication,” I could access my work different than established form of architecture and connect to my work style.

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　　　It is hard and has a limit to show a chance for new architects to find an answer from a question like ‘can people communicate by architectural and spatial figures?’ Therefore, after I show a process to create a previous spatial figure through pictures or installation, I bought different artistic elements and drawings, which contain messages that I want to deliver with spaces. I expect that the public would have more sympathy by these process than hard architecture.

Q: Can you tell your dream or a plan for your work?

　　　As I keep traveling on the same project, I hope to work further in depth. There has been many opinions and feedback from my audiences so far. I am planing on additional works about ‘bang’ and ‘dots’. I would like to have a chance to apprise of refugees in Korea to the world through international projects and communications.

Q: Do you have any other stories to tell us that you would like to add on the last-minute? [It could be anything,] such as a cheerful message to the refugee or something about the upcoming Refugee Week event, or else...

　　　I don't think I am on the position to provide a big discourse, since I just started to participate to Refugee Week [Korea] based on my personal sentiments.

　　　“But still, by participating this event at Refugee Week Korea [this time], [I hope to tell people that] if you look at one angle of this society, there is an individual like me, a young man, who tries to keep such things in mind.”

　　　Even though it has been less than a month [for me] that I stared to have an interest in this field, there are many people who are interested in these social issues, somewhere not exposed. My job, that I can do, is to pull out these stories by an artistic method. When the message gets delivered to the others, [I think that] the interest and participation would increase naturally. It is time to mature our attitude, and I think it would be better when the cultural contents follow the social movement. This is meaningful to me, and that's why I participated in Refugee Week [Korea].

Epilogue

　　　‘Thirty Minutes Interview’ was special for two ‘dots’ with another ‘dot’. It was a meaningful journey for all of us, discussing the refugees issues on the same page. We were soaked into this conversation, and it was even hard to know how much time had passed. After the interview, our perceptions to his artworks turned differently to [how it used to look like.] We found out that the delivered message could be interpreted further in depth.

　　　When we requested to take a picture of Mr. Choi, he refused politely. We were surprised by his reaction. Even though he could have exposed himself and the exhibition via the exclusive interview, the decision was not from a simple evasion of taking a picture and mysticism. The reason was that he wants his audience to focus on the story rather than how he looks like or the information about himself. He said, “Even though my face does not show, I hope to communicate smoothly.” Therefore, his face is not included in the article.

A butterfly effect started for the beautiful world. We hope that the first try of Mr. Choi and our effort to Refugee Week become a big sphere like a display out of the cafe, and an impact to move other spheres, and go forward for the beautiful world.

작은 점을 위한 방

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