When we first began speaking of red in our work, we were drawn to memories of diving in the ocean. The extraordinary experience of being underwater was a profound source of inspiration for our initial artistic concepts. Though the term “inspiration” feels somewhat grand, it’s true that we had never experienced red in such a physical way as we did in the depths of the sea. The ocean felt vast and obscure; descending deeper into the water, we became acutely aware of our own bodies, our breath, the movement of the water, the depth that defied spatial comprehension—and the loss of red.
As one descends further, red light fades, vanishing from view as sunlight is unable to penetrate the ocean’s depths. While this phenomenon is scientifically logical, recalling basic science lessons, it’s also undeniably captivating. Could this moment be considered a powerful revelation of light’s vibration, wavelength, and energy? Although we typically perceive a world full of color, red may in fact be the first color that reaches our retinas—a reflection I often return to.
Our new work, phyper(2024), unites light and sound as vibrations and signals, consolidated as a single entity. In this piece, a red light reflected on a 150㎝ by 150㎝ glass panel is accompanied by a low, long-wavelength sound and a similarly long-wavelength red light aligned in parallel. Distinct vibrations of sound waves and visible light connect through audio and optical cables, interwoven on one wall of the exhibition space. We find it remarkably engaging. Analog sound information eventually converts to digital form, transmitted through fiber-optic cables and emitted from work. This assemblage is phyper, like a single building block—a fundamental unit that reveals invisible phenomena through vibrations of light and sound.
Playing #include red (phyper Edition), a collaborative piece with GRAYCODE, jiiiiin from 2016, within phyper aligns with the Vanishing, Emerging exhibition’s theme. We were also drawn to the idea of using phyper as a foundational platform. There are, of course, grander pieces on display, like ornate crowns, but phyper stands as a pure expression of the fundamental physical phenomena of light and sound. Here, the state itself is work, serving as a vessel that holds other works. We envisioned this interrelation of pieces, like light refracting, reflecting, and entwining through glass. After its performance on August 18 at 4 PM, #include red (phyper Edition) vanished, yet phyper endured, remaining until the exhibition concludes on October 20. 2024. 10. 07
GRAYCODE, jiiiiin explore the properties and layers of sound, which both serve as medium and phenomenon. The artists have created works that offer us a variety of artistic audio- visual experiences, presenting sound not only to be heard but also to be seen, thus providing a sense of absolute nowness.
The museum vibrates. The works, the bodies, and the place all vibrate together. The strength of the vibrations varies in specific cycles and intervals. The low-frequency sound vibrates and resonates with our bodies, matching the rhythm of our heartbeat. Sound is transmitted through the vibrations of media such as air and water. Among those media, air is the slowest transmitter. Sound travels through the air in the exhibition room, but we cannot hear it. Still, it exists here. The red color shown on the window and the work vibrating on signals prove its presence. Although the sound is beyond our audible range, the low-frequency sound and its vibrations with red light create an audio-visual experience that resonates with us. We can see and feel it does exist, even though we cannot hear it. The speakers and other devices, linked to each other in the space where the work is installed, generate these vibrations through their interactions. The traces of performance that emerge and vanish on the exhibition’s opening day also influence these vibrations. The vibrations of the sound, shaped by the traces and relationships of times and places, transform into resonance within the floor, walls, and our bodies, making us feel interconnected in this place. We can recognize our presence here by feeling the vibration and resonance around us.
Soon, the question arises: Can we claim that the sound doesn’t exist because we cannot feel its vibrations? The work makes us recognize both the limitations of our senses and the diverse vibrations of sound and light that surround us in this space and beyond. Even though the vibration soon fades away, we exist together in its presence. Through this work, we become one with this place.
By Sunyong Kim (GMOMA)