Steampunk, science and futurism – Dawns, Mine, Crystal by Yunchul Kim at the Korean Cultural Centre, London

editor

6 years ago

Dawns, Mine, Crystal by Yunchul Kim at the Korean Cultural Centre, London

Created from Geiger–Müller tubes, glass, aluminium, fluid dynamics, micro controllers and other electronic wizardry, South Korean artist Yunchul Kim’s set of installations at the Korean Cultural Centre make for a fascinating blend of steampunk, science and futurism

Here’s a snippet from the press release:

Kim’s work focuses on the research of new materiality and the artistic potential of fluid dynamics and metamaterials (synthetic materials that exhibit properties not commonly found in natural materials).

Creating objects and installations which transfer cosmic radiation, acoustic, and/or vibrating impulses into ever-changing, fascinating yet puzzling images, spectators are given a glimpse into the worlds of alchemy, astrophysics and new technologies: strange, unfamiliar and, at the same time, captivating.

The exhibition at KCCUK takes its departure point from the central work Cascade, a fluid kinetic installation resulting from Kim’s two-month residency at Arts at CERN and one-month at FACT as part of the Collide International Residency Award. Suspended in the gallery space, Cascade consists of 18 meter-long interconnecting transparent tubes containing fluid in constant circulation.

Exploring the artistic potential of fluid dynamics (the science of liquids and gases in motion), the work investigates the possibility of controlling the propagation of light through suspended photonic crystals.

The exhibition title Dawns, Mine, Crystal – a direct reference to the work of Raymond Roussel, a pioneer of experimental writing – establishes an intersection of a ‘world of materials’ with complex layers of metaphors and symbols. For Kim, material is not merely a basis for creating forms and images, but a main protagonist for creation itself. Through works such as ARGOS (2018), the artist examines
fundamental changes evoked when the relationship between matter and force is reassembled.

Describing his mode of practice as “psychological, sensual and symptomatic”, Kim seeks to materialise the realm of the imaginary.