‘voice and wind’ by haegue yang at korean pavillion,venice 2009 image © designboom
‘I imagine metaphorically that I preserve cool air in me as long as I can, until the temperature difference is so great that water drops collect on the bottle. I would like to transmit things to others without pouring water out of the bottle. I believe that people can be mobilized by this condensation, which is a kind of direct reaction, without needing to negotiate specificities.’ -haegue yang
in the exhibition ‘condensation’, haegue yang explores private or hidden spaces that might be considered nebensächlich (marginal or insignificant), but to the artist constitute profound backdrops for understanding: the vulnerable sites where informal development can occur. using the metaphor of condensation, yang seeks direct communication with unknown people through a seemingly intangible path of exchange, one that imparts nonfunctional yet ontologically significant information. eungie joo, keith haring director and curator of education and public programs at the new museum, new york is the curator of the korean pavilion.
‘voice and wind’ image © designboom
‘voice and wind’ image © designboom
‘voice and wind’ image © designboom
consisting of a labyrinthine system of stacked venetian blinds flooded with natural light, a series of vulnerable arrangements—voice and wind (2009) evokes shadows of places and experiences not physically present. here yang uses commercially manufactured venetian blinds in indescribable, uncategorizable colors and patterns that exist at the edge of taste. these functional decorations for the home defy rigid concepts of design or periodization to emphasize the nonaesthetics of the private sphere, where the self is cared for and contemplated, and can be shared in a different way.
‘voice and wind’ image © designboom
‘voice and wind’ image © designboom
‘voice and wind’ courtesy kukje gallery, seoul, korea photos: pattara chanruechachai
‘voice and wind’ image © designboom
‘voice and wind’ image © designboom
‘voice and wind’ image © designboom
as in previous works, yang introduces electricity as an invisible connection between objects, people, and ideas. six ventilators placed around the main gallery generate wind at various intervals, altering both the stability of the blinds as suspended barriers and the movement of visitors. scent emitters infuse the installation with moments of sensory experience, calling upon the visitors’ subjectivity as a key element in the definition of the space. employing transparency and improvisation as metaphors for the vulnerability of space and time, yang seeks new possibilities of public engagement.
haegue yang portrait © designboom
