Jae Min Lee - statement

Exhibitions Works Statement CV Contact

"The sky is the eyes, the river is the blood vessel, the wind is an exhalation,
the rain is a tear, and the wave is the beating of the heart."
When I see various actions and patterns that occur in nature, I ask myself questions: why are these phenomena beautiful for me, and why do these shapes and forms impress me? My projects begin to answer these questions and express my responses by using modern technology. One rainy day, while watching the water flowing endlessly down the window, I thought how interesting it would be to express the movement and the shape of the water which flowed past with light. I made an interactive installation, Water Lights (2004). When people approach the work, water runs over light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and the lights come on when the water touches an LED. Then the intensity of the LED is regulated by the quantity of water running over it. In addition, a visitor can participate by sprinkling water on the surface of the installation, which then turns on the lights. I look for new relationships between technology and nature. How we use technology to imitate natural phenomena is a subject of great concern to me. I allow nature to literally play a part in my works, and by observing the visualization of the unpredictable sequence in nature, the public has the opportunity to achieve a closer connection with nature. The perception of nature as something to be protected undermines its strength and elevates the force and influence of humans. I see nature not in a way that is separate from humanity, but in a way that recognizes the intimacy between the two. The sky is the eyes, the river is the blood vessel, the wind is an exhalation, the rain is a tear, and the wave is the beating of the heart. Modern technology should not be viewed as a way to control or destroy nature. I use nature as an interactive medium that participates in my installations. As the elements of nature influence my work, visitors experience those elements in new ways, both emotionally and physically. By creating harmony between technology and nature, I hope to show that the two can coexist.