Talk to Artist | Hyunjun Cho: Inner Ear Vertigo | Interview on Art Yourself Atelier

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

赵显埈: 耳石症和前庭神经炎的首次病发是在三年前。这两种疾病的显性症状很少，因此需要很长时间才能确诊。据医生的判断，我可能已经患有这种病很长时间了，患病时间远超三年。

耳石症与前庭神经炎首先损害的是我的平衡感，导致我曾有的对于平衡的的感觉发生了深刻的变化。这种疾病会令人迷失方向，造成精神和身体上的严重混乱。一个微小的例子，我曾经能够直视着交谈者的眼睛，专心进行一段对话。但现在，由于所患有的疾病，我会频繁地头晕，出现耳鸣、失去平衡、感到压力、抑郁等症状，这使得我很难与人进行长时间面对面的沟通。

我的视觉也发生了相当的变化。当症状恶化时，我在观察日常物体时会看到扭曲的轮廓。而且，非常日常的动作，比如步行或走动，对我而言也是十分困难的，即使只是走很短的一段距离。这些经历让人感到混沌，让我觉得我好像是世界异质的一部分，并限制了我的艺术创作，以及更加实际的，让我难以找工作、与朋友和家人相处。

耳石症与前庭神经炎的发展类似于多米诺骨牌效应，并且是不可控、不可抗拒，并且症状难以忽视的。当疾病特有的头晕开始吼，身体会依次感受到：耳鸣、失去平衡、压力和抑郁、颅内压升高、视野改变。此外，这种疾病复发的可能性很大。因此，即使病情有所好转，完全放松仍然是遥不可及的。同我一样的患者会总是担心自己的状况，而更深层次的担忧是这种疾病会在某种程度上造成我从社会中的疏离。

赵显埈: 在我之前的作品中，我接触过绘画和影像，我非常欣赏并尊重这两种媒介的美感和表现力，然而，这个系列的目标是创造一种可体验的艺术，创造一个能够描绘这种疾病的体验的艺术系列。为了真实地描绘耳石症与前庭神经炎的眩晕症状和迷失方向的体验，作品所处的空间便需要成为一个“体验场所”。这意味着我在创作时将采用一种“正在病发”对视角，以及使用一种较其他形式更能侵占感官的媒介。

赵显埈: 我不认为现有的雕塑作品实践依旧被限制在静态的框架内。在我的作品中，为了实现一种沉浸式的体验，除视觉以外的其他感官也需要被运用上。在这种语境下，雕塑—视觉中的三维媒介—则显得尤其适合这一目的。三维媒介可以更强烈、更全面地强调视觉、听觉和触觉。当观众与作品互动并在空间内的三维艺术中移动时，雕塑便能够为观众提供更直接、更身临其境的体验。

当我们只是通过图片来感受展览现场时，一个极其容易忽略的细节是展览空间内的地板。我们在地板上堆积了总和超过两吨的花岗岩，这使得地板高低起伏，产生了凹凸不平的纹理。当观众进入展览空间，蹑步于这些随机不均匀的地板纹理之上时，保持平衡就会变成一件具有挑战性的事，而这也使我能够将我个人的疾病体验翻译成一种可被传达的经验。

在雕塑的制作过程中，我也尽可能多地使用不同的材料。我想这是雕塑这种形式特许我的权利，我可以用许多异质的材料来表达耳朵、疾病和人体的复杂有机。雕塑是一种具有极强物质性的艺术，疾病也是。它们从不抽象，从不虚无缥缈，一切症状从物质中产生，一切对症状的表述也要回到物质材料中去。

赵显埈: 创造大量耳道雕塑是为了强调“无数次重复体验”的概念，产生盘山倒海翻江式的观展体验。我希望观众在参观时，能切实地踩在这2000多樽耳道雕像上，而在脚与雕塑接触的瞬间，这些耳朵形状的作品会破裂，导致这个系列的整体轮廓在展览过程中发生变化。这种互动模糊了现实与艺术之间的界限，每次观看、每次行走自然都会产生“结果”。观看过程不再是一个轻松的行为，它有后果，也有重量。我希望为观看“增重”，因为这种无法摆脱的沉重也是罕见病人常有的心理体验。

在日常生活种，耳石症和前庭神经炎会造成反反复复的不平衡感和晕眩，并且这种症状对出现是毫无规律、无法预料的。我想通过艺术作品来表达这种不稳定和不规则。2000多件雕塑象征着这种不平衡，它们的数量强调了重复的体验，而数字的庞大则进一步象征着无穷无尽，永续循环。对于罕见病的患者而言，当一种简单的症状重复不规律出现的时候，这种感觉真的像陷入了一段无穷尽的不规律循环。

赵显埈: 将声音融入我的雕塑系列有两个目的。首先，也是最重要的一点，它真实再现了我病发时产生眩晕的体验。我的疾病伴随着强烈的耳鸣和耳闷症状，而这些症状在传统的艺术形式中，甚至是在前庭神经炎这一话题下的作品中，都鲜少出现。为了填补这一感官的缺失我制作了一系列音效作品，利用声音频率来再现耳鸣和耳闷发病时的状况。在这一层面上，疾病和艺术一样，都具有部分通感的性质，在疾病中我们的每一种感官很难被孤立，而每一种艺术在挑战自身极限的时候也总在召唤多种感官的参与。

此外，我整合声音的方法与我“重现体验”的欲望相关。耳石症是一种严重扰乱个人平衡感、导致头晕和方向感错乱的疾病。由于传统雕塑的静态本质与电影的动态本质发生冲突，我被迫将运动注入到我的雕塑本身以及作品排布中。翁贝托·博乔尼 (Umberto Boccioni) 等艺术家热衷于探索运动的轮廓和动态，我从他们那里汲取灵感，用感官元素为我的创作注入活力。运动需要参照系，而尽管相对于空间本身而言雕塑是静止对，但声音创造了另一层参照系，另一个维度，在声音的参照系中，音乐成为推动静态剪影运动的催化剂。

赵显埈: 苏珊·桑塔格的《疾病的隐喻》和罗伯特·麦克鲁尔的《跛行理论》确实为现代社会如何看待和处理疾病和残疾提供了新的视角。桑塔格谈到人们对疾病的无知如何扭曲了一种特定疾病的社会形象，但耳石症和前庭神经炎还是有不同于艾滋以及肺结核的特殊性。一方面，这种症状的的确确是外在不可见的，它使得患者可以部分免受疾病污名化的困扰，但另一方面，当我们想要寻求理解和帮助的时候，我们的痛苦则变得更加隐性，更加难以传达。人们对这种疾病依旧知之甚少，并且当我向他人分享我与这些疾病的斗争时，多数情况下我难以获得理解和同情，人们会回复我：“你看起来没事儿。”这种不被理解是我艺术作品的另一个灵感来源。虽然被称为罕见病，但耳石症和前庭神经炎的发病率在统计上比我们想象的要高。它们鲜少被提及，发病时患者只能自顾自地忍受眩晕。出于这些原因，我希望通过作品来分享这种疾病的体验。

作品的出发点确实是我的个人经历，使其根植于“我”。然而，它可以扩展到一种可以与许多其他经历过这些疾病的人分享的经历。艺术品充当了一种隐喻的媒介，以及“我”和观众（或者换句话说，“每个人”）之间沟通的桥梁。我从罗伯特·史密森的《帕赛克纪念碑之旅》中提出的概念中汲取了灵感。该艺术品旨在超越个人体验，连接过去、现在和未来，向观众展示的不仅仅是一件“艺术品”，而是一座纪念共同经历的“有意义的纪念碑”。