ARTIST: Hyunjun Cho
Interview & Text: Luxi
DATE: 2024.01
Inner Ear Vertigo
Malady, BPPV, Immersive exhibition, Synaesthesia, Sculpture
Introduction
Hyunjun Cho is a London and Seoul-based artist with a BFA from Goldsmiths, University of London. His art is based on his own disease and various other organic forms that are heterogeneous to
the human body. His work employs industrial technology to generate sculptures and installation art that forms a futuristic dystopia.
Hyunjun’s artistic career has been shaped by the experience of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Disorder and vestibular Neuritis, two medical conditions that thrust him into a surreal realm of
disorientation and imbalance. In a world where these invisible inner ear maladies distorted his perception and left him feeling like an outsider, he embarked on a creative quest to bridge the
gap between his unique experience and the understanding surrounding these maladies.
In this interview, we talked with Hyunjun about his recent exhibition where 2005 sculptures were presented, featuring five central sculptures and an army of 2000 replicated ear canal
sculptures, complemented by a poignant sound work. In Hyunjun’s exhibition, his sculptures, born from the organic contours of my own ear and semicircular canal, capture the twisted and
dizzying vision that became a daily reality. Each piece reflects the intricate emotions that arose from living within a body at odds with itself.
To gain a comprehensive understanding of Hyunjun's artwork, we recommend visiting his AYA exhibition page. (
link)
Image provided by Hyunjun
Interview Text
AYA: Hyunjun, we know that the central sculptural works of your exhibition as well as a large army of 2000 ear-shaped miniatures were centered on the theme of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) and Vestibular Neuritis – two rare medical conditions that you’re constantly suffering from. Can you please introduce to our readers the experience related to this disease, and historically, when did the symptom of BPPV first occur to you?
Image provided by Hyunjun
HYUNJUN: BPPV and Vestibular Neuroitis first appeared three years ago. These diseases have few outward symptoms, so it took a long time to be diagnosed. According to my doctor, I probably have
had this disease for a long time. I think I might have been suffering from it for not only 3 years, but much longer.
Primarily, experiencing BPPV significantly impaired my sense of balance, leading to a profound change in my previous experiences and sensations. The symptoms of the illness clash with
disorienting experiences, causing substantial confusion both mentally and physically. As a small example, I used to be able to have focused conversations, looking at the other person directly.
However, now, due to frequent dizziness from benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), symptoms such as tinnitus, loss of balance, stress, and depression have appeared, making it
challenging to communicate with others for an extended period.
Image provided by Hyunjun
My vision changes too. When the symptoms get worse, I perceive distorted silhouettes when observing everyday objects. Also, it is hard for me to maintain casual movements like walking or
moving around for even a short distance. These experiences evoke feelings of chaos and heterogeneity and impose a limit for my artwork making, and practical perspectives like finding a job,
meeting friends and family, etc.
BPPV’s progression resembles that of a domino effect, and it is uncontrollable, unignorable, and irresistible. When the unique dizziness starts, the body is affected in the following sequence:
tinnitus, loss of balance, stress, and depression, increased intracranial pressure, and changes in vision. In addition, this disease has a high possibility of recurrence. Therefore, even if
the condition improves, complete relaxation is still far beyond possible. I am always concerned about my conditions, and the larger and deeper concern is that the disease will to some extent
alienate me from the normal social circle.
Image provided by Hyunjun
AYA: Having known what it feels like physically to experience BPPV, we’d like to go back to your artwork. This series contains exclusively sculptural works, and to be exact, a large volume of sculptures of various sizes. Why did you land on sculpture as the final form for your artistic expression, and especially for the expression of a sensory vertigo and dizziness?
HYUNJUN: In my previous works, I have worked with painting and video, and I deeply admire and respect the beauty and expressiveness that these media have offered. However, the goal for this project was to create experiential art, to create an art series that’s capable of delineating the very experience of the malady. To authentically depict the symptoms of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo and the disorienting experience, the very space in which the artwork was created needs to become a "place of experience." This means adopting a perspective akin to being in a state of 'having BPPV in my own ear,' and a medium that claims a space like no other formats.
Image provided by Hyunjun
AYA: On the one hand, sculpture is indeed unparallel when it comes to the capacity of claiming the space, but on the other in general understanding sculpture is also widely perceived as an art that has a stillness at its core. Do you think you have been slightly disadvantaged in the expression of this theme compared with practitioners in other media such as painting, motion picture?
HYUNJUN: To achieve the sensation I intend to express, various sensory experiences beyond the visual needed to be reflected in the space, and I believe a three-dimensional medium, in this case, the sculpture, was more appropriate for this purpose. The three-dimensional medium allowed for a much stronger and more comprehensive emphasis on the visual, auditory, and tactile senses. It was expected to provide a more direct and immersive experience for the viewers as they interacted with the artwork and moved through the three-dimensional art within the space.
Image provided by Hyunjun
One detail that may easily escapes the audience when they merely look at the image of the sculpture is the floor of the exhibition space. Placing 2 tons of granite on the floor created a bumpy
texture. When audience entered the exhibition space and encountered these randomly uneven floor textures, they were able to empathize with the challenge of maintaining their balance. This
allowed me to incorporate my personal experience with BPPV.
Material diversity was also a significant consideration when choosing sculpture. This approach allowed for a more experimental exploration and authentic representation of the ear, the disease,
and the organic characteristics of the human body. I believed that this choice would enhance the complexity of the artwork and help convey a heterogeneous and an alienating experience to the
audience when it has a materiality and a physicality at the core.
More than 2000 ear-shaped miniatures scattered on the ground, image provided by Hyunjun
Outline shaped with the participation of viewers, image provided by Hyunjun
AYA: One of the outstanding features one can immediately come to notice is that the series composes of an extremely large body of sculptural works – 2000 replicated ear sculptural canals accompanying 5 central sculptures, giving the overall viewing experience an overpowering, even overwhelming force. What is the intention behind creating an almost blizzard of ear-canal sculptures? Do you intend to translate the numerical spectacularity into a sensuous spectacularity – and thus situate the viewers in a visual and acoustic maze that they cannot escape?
HYUNJUN: The reason for creating an enormous volume of ear canal sculptures and exhibiting them was to emphasize the concept of 'numerous repetitive experiences' and to provide the audience with an overwhelming and dominant art experience.
Image provided by Hyunjun
I wanted the 2,000 pieces to be walked upon, and as viewers stepped on them, the ear-formed pieces would break, causing the silhouettes to transform over the exhibiting process. This
interaction blurs the boundaries between reality and art, and naturally there is a “consequence” with each viewing, with each walk. The viewing process is no longer a light act. There is
consequence and there is a weight. I want this weight to be added to the viewing experience as well, since it is also how it feels like to carry around with you a malady that few can resonate
with.
BPPV is a disease that causes a constant recurrence of imbalance and dizziness in real life, and I want to express these instabilities and irregular symptoms through the artwork. The 2,000
pieces of the artwork symbolize this imbalance, and their multitude emphasizes the repetitive experience. A numerical spectacularity suggests infinity, and when things were at its worst, when
desperation became the dominant feeling, it can feel to a sufferer that all along the way towards infinity, the dizziness and imbalance stand.s
Image provided by Hyunjun
AYA: Apart from transcending individual work and creating a sculptural landscape, the other feature we have noted, which differentiates you from the genre significantly, is the incorporation of music that’s essential to your series. It is also because of the accompanying music that viewers will sometimes feel themselves in a sculpturally composed motion picture. The motionlessness of sculpture as a genre and the fundamental motion of motion pictures seems to be at war with each other, and for this reason we would like to know how do you conceptualize the series of work in terms of motion? Does the condition you would like to convey inspire and demand you to give the dimension of motion to your work?
HYUNJUN: The integration of sound into my sculpture series serves a dual purpose. Based on my artistic vision, first and foremost, it is a means to authentically represent the experience of individuals suffering from the Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo. This debilitating condition is marked by auditory symptoms like tinnitus and ear fullness, which have often been overlooked or omitted in the traditional artistic representations. To bridge this sensory gap, I've meticulously crafted sound work that harnesses sound frequencies to encapsulate the unique characteristics of the disease. In so doing, my aim is to offer viewers a multi-sensory encounter that transcends the limitations of visual representation alone. By incorporating sound, my artwork seeks to faithfully recreate the holistic experience of BPPV, allowing viewers to immerse themselves in the auditory dimension of the condition.
Image provided by Hyunjun
Furthermore, my approach to integrating sound is inextricably linked to my overarching objective of 'recreating the experience.' BPPV is a condition that profoundly disrupts an individual's
sense of balance, causing dizziness and disorientation. As the static nature of traditional sculpture clashes with the dynamic essence of motion pictures, I was compelled to infuse motion into
my artwork. Drawing inspiration from artists like Umberto Boccioni, who passionately explored the silhouettes and dynamics of movement, I sought to capitalize on sensory elements to infuse
vitality into my creations. The sound work becomes a catalyst for motion within the static silhouettes, leaving a lasting impression on the audience. It enables viewers to engage not only
visually but also auditorily and kinesthetically, facilitating a more profound and immersive connection with the art.
This emphasis on movement and dynamism is rooted in my deep appreciation for the unique challenges BPPV presents to the human experience. It compels individuals to confront unconventional
behaviors due to their condition. Hence, my artwork strives to encapsulate these challenges, introducing elements of movement to stimulate the imagination and invite viewers to construct their
unique narratives within the piece. Through this approach, I enhance the immersive quality of the artwork, enabling the audience to engage with the dynamic facets of the illness in a manner
that transcends the traditional boundaries of art forms.
Image provided by Hyunjun
AYA: When speaking of medical condition, we cannot help but to read it against the theoretical background of Susan Sontag’s Illness as Metaphor. It seems to a lay viewer that Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo and Vestibular Neuritis remain two conditions that have rarely been discussed, and their cultural, social connotation barely formed. Do you think the experience of BPPV is largely individual, mostly alone? And by repetitively replicating a sculpture in the form of an ear canal, are you trying to read through, to develop the metaphor that an ear can bear?
Hyunjun: Susan Sontag's Illness as Metaphor and Robert McRuer's Crip Theory have indeed been instrumental in providing a fresh perspective on how modern society perceives and approaches illness and disability.
Image provided by Hyunjun
More accurately speaking, Illness as Metaphor set a tone for the wider theoretical background against which my work and my specific condition become a more specific, personal expression of the
cultural phenomenon. While Sontag addresses how people ignorance about illness distorts the image, and society often overlays misconceptions onto patients, for me, I have experienced benign
paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) and vestibular neuritis, and I have received reactions such as "you look perfectly fine" due to the invisibility of these diseases from an external
perspective. It has been disappointing and disheartening to seek empathy even when sharing my struggles with these illnesses to others. Moreover, the fact that such illnesses are not
well-addressed culturally and socially was another source of inspiration for my artwork. The incidence rates of these illnesses are statistically higher than what we think, yet they are rarely
mentioned. Therefore, my artwork aims to tackle these illnesses and share personal experiences through this medium.
The starting point for the work was indeed my personal experience, making it rooted in 'me.' However, it can be extended to an experience that can be shared with many others who have
experienced these illnesses. The artwork serves as a metaphorical medium and a bridge of communication between 'me' and the audience, or in other words, 'everyone.' I drew inspiration from the
concepts presented in Robert Smithson's A Tour of the Monuments of Passaic. The artwork aims to go beyond a personal experience, connecting the past, present, and future, reaching the audience
not as a mere 'art piece' but as a 'meaningful monument' that commemorates a shared experience.
Image provided by Hyunjun
Hyunjun's Past Exhibitions
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2024, Online, Art Yourself Atelier Gallery Exhibition & Artist Interview
2023-2024, New York, Artist Talk Digital Exhibition(Times Square)
2023, London, Goldsmiths BA Fine Art Degree Show
2023, London, Goldsmiths Degree Show 2023
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2023, London, RupturEXIBIT Gallery 'Lawless Imagination’
2023, London, 'Now Introducing' at Studio West Gallery