ISOGRAM MEDIA ART
Ha Na Lee & James Hughes
TWO WOMEN
2014 - 2015 | Multi-channel video and sound installation with kinetic sculpture
Dimension: Room,: 16 feet x 12 feet (192 sq. feet), water bed: 4 feet x 8 feet x 29 inch each
Materials: wallpapers, water, 2 x HD projectors, 2 x pocket projectors, 4 x raspberry pies, 4 speakers, micro controllers, and CPU
Dimension: Room,: 16 feet x 12 feet (192 sq. feet), water bed: 4 feet x 8 feet x 29 inch each
Materials: wallpapers, water, 2 x HD projectors, 2 x pocket projectors, 4 x raspberry pies, 4 speakers, micro controllers, and CPU
Project Description
Two Women is an installation inspired by the invisible crisis of the suicide of the artist’s grandmother. Though the motivation of her suicide is unknown, the work explores several possible ways to understand her death. The imagery of Two Women invokes themes of repression, resistance, submission, resignation, power, melancholy, death, and violence.
The piece consists of an elderly Korean woman narrating a story where describes her room, a dream about a room with two machines, and a fantasy in which she sees her younger self drowning.
The installation space is a cinematic realization of this fantasy, decorated as a domestic room in a state of decline and disrepair. A pair of kinetic machines dominate the space. The machines record suicide-related news stories as morse code physically punched on a roll of black paper. Each roll of punched paper slowly feeds into a pool of water where it forms a perforated projection screen for a video of a woman submerged under the water. The paper is pulled up to the ceiling where soft light reveals the structure and pattern of the punches.
The narrative is interwoven with news stories culled from Korean newspapers dating as far back as the 1920’s. The narrative and the stories are projected as subtitles on each of the punching machines - Korean on one side, and English translations on the other. The piece is driven algorithmically, with the movement of the machines, audio, and video progressing in concert with one another and reinforcing each other.
The piece consists of an elderly Korean woman narrating a story where describes her room, a dream about a room with two machines, and a fantasy in which she sees her younger self drowning.
The installation space is a cinematic realization of this fantasy, decorated as a domestic room in a state of decline and disrepair. A pair of kinetic machines dominate the space. The machines record suicide-related news stories as morse code physically punched on a roll of black paper. Each roll of punched paper slowly feeds into a pool of water where it forms a perforated projection screen for a video of a woman submerged under the water. The paper is pulled up to the ceiling where soft light reveals the structure and pattern of the punches.
The narrative is interwoven with news stories culled from Korean newspapers dating as far back as the 1920’s. The narrative and the stories are projected as subtitles on each of the punching machines - Korean on one side, and English translations on the other. The piece is driven algorithmically, with the movement of the machines, audio, and video progressing in concert with one another and reinforcing each other.
Video Documentation at Currents The Santa Fe New Media Art Festival
Video Documentation at Seattle, DXARTS Ballard Warehouse
Installation Documentations
Storyboards
Conceptual sketch
Video Production Credit
Script Writer | 이상훈 Sang Hun LEE
Voice Actress | 한경미 Kyung-mi HAN
Voice Director | 박상현 Sang-hyun PARK
Actress | 오하라 Hara OH
Director, Underwater Cinematography | 김도열 Do-yeol KIM
Rescue / Assistant of Camera | 이동준 Dong-jun LEE
Director of Lighting | 김진용 Jin-yong KIM
Lighting Staff | 김현 Hyun KIM
Costume Design | 김민규 Min-gyu KIM/ 특별한복 Big Star Traditional Korean dress Shop
Special Thanks to Jin-kyung KIM, Robert TWOMEY, Don CRAIG, Jon PADEN, Currents Festival staff and volunteers