Now You See Me, Now You Don’t (Korea)

2021
  • Taehwa River Eco Festival - TEAF21 - Ulsan - 8 Trampolines and lights
  • I first created Now You See Me, Now You Don’t for Desert X AlUla in Saudi Arabia in 2020. The...
    I first created Now You See Me, Now You Don’t for Desert X AlUla in Saudi Arabia in 2020. The installation emerged from my observation of the desert after rainfall, when shallow pools of water briefly appear across the land before disappearing into the dry earth. I was interested in this fleeting presence, and in how something essential to life could vanish, leaving the landscape seemingly unchanged.
  • I translated these temporary pools into circular trampolines embedded in the ground. Their surfaces invited visitors to jump, transforming the...

    I translated these temporary pools into circular trampolines embedded in the ground. Their surfaces invited visitors to jump, transforming the act of looking into a physical encounter. The ground became unstable, responding to the weight and movement of each body. What appeared solid could give way, turning a familiar surface into something to negotiate through movement.

  • When I reconfigured the work for the 15th Taehwa River Eco Art Festival in Ulsan, South Korea, I began to...

    When I reconfigured the work for the 15th Taehwa River Eco Art Festival in Ulsan, South Korea, I began to consider the relationship between the desert and the river. Although these landscapes are profoundly different, both led me to reflect on the role of water in shaping an environment and sustaining life. I arranged the trampolines in response to the course of the Taehwa River, translating its flow into a series of fragmented forms. The work extended beyond the temporary pools of AlUla to address a river whose ecological future could not be taken for granted.

  • The festival’s theme, Unhidden/Unseeable, resonated with my interest in the tension between presence and absence. We often recognise the significance...

    The festival’s theme, Unhidden/Unseeable, resonated with my interest in the tension between presence and absence. We often recognise the significance of something only when it becomes difficult to see or access. Through the trampolines, I wanted visitors to experience this uncertainty physically, encountering a surface that appeared dependable yet shifted beneath them. Their movements activated the installation, making each encounter temporary and distinct.

  • I also found a connection between this experience and the festival’s exploration of home. I think of home not only as a place of belonging, but as an environment shaped by the relationship between bodies, land, and the conditions that sustain them. A river is integral to the life of a place, just as water is part of the memory and survival of a desert.

  • The title, Now You See Me, Now You Don’t, began with the fleeting appearance of water in the desert. In...

    The title, Now You See Me, Now You Don’t, began with the fleeting appearance of water in the desert. In Ulsan, it took on a wider meaning, prompting me to consider how easily we overlook what is present, and how our perception changes when it begins to disappear. By inviting visitors to move across the work, I wanted to make this shifting relationship between presence and absence something they could feel, rather than simply observe.

  • Art Director Sohee Park, Curator Jiyoon Park.

  • Exhibition history