Apartments are the most common type of housing in South Korea. The shape of this building appears to be a huge concrete cube. In the city, the apartment complex includes wide space for residents. There are valid reasons why Koreans prefer to live in apartments. They ensure a more convenient lifestyle, because they are set up with infrastructure such as a large-scale water system, electricity, parking lots, as well as proximity to schools, markets, and police stations.   Moreover, the city has been designed for residents to live in apartment complexes because in Seoul there is a large population in a limited area. I feel that apartments are symbols of the lifestyle of South Korea. They can be described as part of modern culture.

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     Apartments have gradually changed the Korean lifestyle. Unlike in the past, when agriculture was an important part of the economy, when people depended on trade, these days people are more isolated from their neighbors and communities. The individuals who live in apartments are now more independent and have an individualistic approach to life. There is very little interaction with one’s neighbors. 

My intention was for the apartment to appear similar to the movie scene in Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining.” The twin apartments create a grotesque image, similar to the identical twins in the movie. The atmosphere appears uncomfortable; to point out that Korean life is becoming isolated.

 

Work Process:

     I arranged twin apartment buildings on a screen.  One of the buildings is occupied; the other is vacant. This opposing situation appears strange. On the right side, the building looks like a normal, residential place. The audience may recognize that the inhabitants appear autonomous from others. 

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     However, on the left side of the building, it is vacant. Only one light shines in the window. In other words, only one house has its lights turned on. This light starts to shine, and it creates a message in Morse code. In order to enhance this strange atmosphere, I set up other objects in this scene. Cars on the road also create similar messages when passing the central point.