On Off Shore – beta version
2024
Media installation with five videos displayed on five monitors.
Dimensions variable
Desks, Documents and note pads, Korean snacks and drinks, media players, monitors, speakers (active), swivel chairs
5 videos, varying lengths
The tidal mudflats off the coast of South Korea stand as a poignant symbol of humanity's relationship with nature and the consequences of relentless industrial and economic pursuits. On Off Shore seeks to explore the multifaceted dimensions of this relationship. The project delves into the complexities of environmental degradation, societal perspectives and the elusive nature of truth.
Utilizing research material, location video footage, and innovative storytelling techniques, the project unfolds as a reflection on the dualistic existence of tidal mudflats and the dichotomy of human perception. The installation features five videos displayed on five monitors. These videos vary in length and offer diverse perspectives and narrative threads that intersect and diverge throughout the installation, weaving together themes of environmental degradation, societal dynamics, and human intervention.
On Off Shore integrates AI-generated voices to create a fictive shortwave radio dialogue in the video installation's sequences, which adds a layer of authenticity and intrigue to the narrative, blurring the boundaries between reality and fiction. All scientific and historical material presented in the installation is however authentic, serving as a stark contrast to the fictive nature of the project's narrative elements. By juxtaposing real-world data and fictional storytelling, On Off Shore challenges viewers to discern truth from fiction and confronts them with the complexities of environmental issues and human perspectives.
The core concept of On Off Shore revolves around the juxtaposition of contrasting perspectives towards the mudflats. One narrative thread explores the viewpoint of the Korean economic elite, driven by profit-oriented motives and industrial endeavors. In contrast, another thread delves into a more scientific and observational approach, highlighting the ecological significance of the mudflats.
Viewers have the opportunity to navigate through different narrative pathways, experiencing the divergent perspectives firsthand. Audiovisual installations and tactile components create a multisensory journey, inviting viewers to contemplate their own relationship with the environment. Throughout the installation, the portrayal of conflicting perspectives evolves, challenging conventional notions of morality and truth. What initially appears as a dichotomy between the economic elite and environmental activists gradually unfolds into a nuanced exploration of competing ideologies and the inevitability of change. The installation aims to convey the futility of simplistic binaries and the complexity of human-environment interactions.
Monitor content
Monitors 1 and 2:
Monitors 1 and 2 each present two computers’ desktop layout. Each showing several videos playing simultaneously. Both monitors’ main window shows views from a flying camera. Adjacent window renders an English translation of the Korean audio track. The audio tracks are fictive radio communications about the camera’s positions, visual and electronically detected observations about the getbol (tidal flat), its minerals and biological status. Two more windows show animated gauges.
Monitor 1 represent a hacker/activist’s airborne surveyor.
Monitor 2 represent an executive venture’s airborne surveyor.
Monitors 3,4 and 5:
Monitor 3 display video advertising by Korea’s largest financial and industrial conglomerates.
Monitor 4 display video clips shot at various getbols (tidal flats) on the South Korean west coast.
Monitor 5 display present a computer’ desktop layout, presenting research about the getbols’ ecological status and legislation about their exploitation as well as preservation restrictions. Together with a research on Korea’s national and local governmnet’s promotion material on exploitation of getbol areas and marine exploitation.
