정정주 평문_강수미 (영문)

Miniature of the World • Panorama in Fictional Interior – Space Constructed by Jeong Jeong Ju

Imaginations of a land of giants or pigmies from The Three Worlds of Gulliver tell us that human measure their exterior world based on their physical bodies. There exists a size ratio for the world recognized by people under 2 meters like yourself and I. So human imagine or create subjects largely out of this accustomed size ratio on the opposite side. Sometimes they enjoy powerful eyes by making it small, or wish to be input into the sublimity bigness gladly by making image of a huge ratio. For example, the joy of touching an exquisite miniature made in 1mm unit and fear-impression of watching a disaster movie where a tidal wave attacks a whole city would give us pleasure. We define ‘space’ in cause and effect relation recognizing the world based on our bodies. Space is ‘something large surrounding us’ in living livelihood senses. A space wide and large enough to support and surround me, and that I move in; artist who handles space would plan success in work by presenting unexpectedness in such common space recognition or by turning over paradoxically.

1. Two dimensions of Space-Body-Recognition
Jeong Jeong Ju spreads out something worthy of seeing ‘under our eyesight’ by making constructive model in a certain space. At once, he projects images taken from interior of this constructive model by turning them over in ‘front of our eyes’. In other words, the former is a miniature of the world under human, and the latter is the actual interior of this miniature and a certain image of cyber space surrounding human. We understand space as something large surrounding us by reducing constructive model made by Jeong Jeong Ju, and indirectly experience images of the miniature interior that we cannot enter due to its excessively small size. This can be compared to Gulliver’s experiences in the world of giants or pigmies. More importantly, an interesting ‘dimension of space-body-recognition’ in connotation and denotation relationship occurs in a special space work of Jeong Jeong Ju where constructive mode and image connect. Considering the relation of two dimensions as a sock (or a glove), we might hold on to a certain clear sensation without a work of Jeong Jeong Ju in front of our eyes. Sticking a hand into a sock sticking flat to each side makes a space just enough to move sluggishly, and this space is one that cannot be seen by only felt. Suddenly pulling out that hand at once allows us to see the interior as the sock is turned over. The sense of space that can be felt only with hands suddenly transfers into visual surface in a matter of seconds. A structure where inside is outside, equality of form and content that able us to recognition of visibility and un-visibility at once, and the various transfer of transfer made by this structure is the core of works by Jeong Jeong Ju that I would like to propose borrowing a metaphor about a sock. A child can realize the fun and transference of this structure that is tactful yet simple only with ‘sense’ rather than ‘understanding’, and repeat them. On the other hand, an adult would view the constructive model made by Jeong Jeong Ju, indirectly experience interior of the minimized world with vision through images by groping it, and might reach to recognition of Walter Benjamin: “form and content, crust and something covered under the crust, and ‘present’ and pouch is one.” Moreover, I would like to protest that sensation and recognition meet at a disappearing point of perception exemplifying works of Jeong Jeong Ju, or by adding that two different dimensions transfer by connecting to each other.

2. Model is smaller than human, and there is nothing behind an image.
One certain scene from exhibition images by Jeong Jeong Ju at Germany in 2001 includes a symbolic image revealing actual image of an appreciator enjoying and accepting his work. A man viewing a miniature model materializing 5 dormitory rooms as small as possible through a television monitor frequently snooping around ‘inside’ of the model and ‘behind’ the monitor with an interested expression on his face. We can observe his actions through an observation camera set up inside the model, which shows the man wondering what exists behind the image projecting on his opposite side (inside the dormitory model, where we are looking at him)and what is in this excessively small model compared to our physical size. The camera set up inside the model is creating ‘link of visions’ connecting him (appreciator)-us (observer)-him (an image of appreciator himself and what the camera is filming) as an eye. Furthermore, the constructive model made by Jeong Jeong Ju may be a small unreal space, but we misunderstand that the interior is actually a large space surrounding oneself because of the reality images provide. Therefore, the man in the image keeps going behind the model and the image, but he cannot enter the model since it is so small, and there is nothing behind the image. One who sees is the one who can be seen, the spot to see is also a spot exposed to others’ sight, and panopticon for making a wholesale arrest can be materialized but not function as hierarchy prototype prison of Bentham.

As mentioned above through a sock, the fact that the property of space and our sense to accept it can be constantly conducted and our perception constantly changing due therefore, is the stimulation works of Jeong Jeong Ju give to our recognition. However, it was clearly a stimulation given by space as mode, not as reality to some point, and stimulation given to our recognition and not on our physical body.

3. From situation to movement
Jeong Jeong Ju has made constructive models with spaces comparably separable as one such as <living room>, <house on a high floor>, <dormitory>, <convenience store on the street>, and has done works projecting interior images into exterior. Despite many or few difference in size, model of Seoul Museum of Art, and Seodaemun Independent Park (formerly referred to as Seoul Prison) produced and exhibited at 2003 were also single space, and the viewers had to see the work outside of it through images transferred in front of our eyes while inside camera moves around making us feel ‘as if we were moving’, rather than moving in a simulated space. And we can see ourselves staring into the model and images through a camera set up somewhere in the exhibition center in another image. In other words, the viewer visually viewed the ‘situation’ where the work is projected outside the work, rather than to ‘move’ around in the work itself. His recent work, <Ilsan Duki-dong Rodeo Street> was also not so different from his former works in method of exhibition and appreciation. Nevertheless, this piece of work provided different physical experience to the appreciators since it was larger in size, and was exhibited in blocks, not in a certain constructive pattern. For example, one can make his/her course by looking at a commercial building that looks like a UFO forced to land on Earth in the middle of a busy street, and move to a model of convenience store or gym nearby.
Therefore, <Bodyscape> being the title for the exhibition Jeong Jeong Ju held at Gwangju Shinsegae Gallery seems reasonable. What the title of this exhibition, coinage of ‘body’ and ‘scape’ is suggesting to us can be interpreted in many ways. However, the one I am strongly focusing on is that works of Jeong Jeong Ju have progressed from emphasis on situation or scenery, rather than physical body, shown by a camera, to a ‘movement’ unifying body and scenery (situation) into one. The appreciator does not merely observe the scenery from far away in an exhibition where Dukkidong Rodeo street, convenience store, and gym is constituting blocks as a constructive model, different from reality. He/she jumps into the work constituted of blocks by walking in it where models are creating a sort of set to understand the mechanism of model and its images, or to see the details. At one point, the body of the appreciator is entered as a part of the work, and melts into a part of the scenery amongst the image showing that place. Therefore, <Bodyscape> is not disconnected into body/scenery, and becomes a work that constantly changes and conducts in a condition who or shat the main body is. Going back to the sock mentioned earlier, recollect that it was the ‘hand’ that conducted the inside and outside space of the sock, and allowed to realize that the crust of the sock and what is covering it (or form and content) is actually one. Let’s think how the ‘artistic works’ of Jeong Jeong Ju – the fake space made by the model, and an image showing the scenery of that space – is allowed to resort frequently, and what the main body is to make the work as a material, scenery, and vivid reality. It is none the other but you, your body that walked into the work of Jeong Jeong Ju.

Kang, Su-Mi (Aesthetics & Art critic)