Grey, 'Derailing Machine'
by
Taeyoon Choi and collaborators.
For Rhizome Commission 2010.
Project description
'Grey' is a performance piece by Taeyoon Choi, accompanied with live electronic music by André Gonçalves, and staged objects by Cheon pyo Lee. The piece is based on a narrative by Choi, that explores why gravity disappeared from the demilitarized zone. Throughout the performance Choi continues to catastrophically fail his tasks. For example, he is an engineer of a train that derails, he is a pilot of an airplane that can't take off, a soldier who stepped on a land mine that didn't work, and a general launching a missile without the explosives. He can only achieve his task and fulfill his desire through help of audience participation. Interactive system and objects are used extensively through out the piece to create an engaging audio visual experience.
Rhizome commission will be used to develop one of the main staged objects, 'Derailing machine', that resembles Steam engine train, military tank, and 16mm film projector. The machine is inspired by images of a derailed train in Paris 1895, a steam engine train stuck in the Demilitarized Zone in between North and South Korea after the division in 1951, and a commuter train bombing in the Madrid in 2004. The machine is made of 16mm film reel and wooden board. Cranking motion creates vibration and scratching noise, that are amplified by a contact microphone. I would like to make an interactive system that detects rotation of four reels, send the data to the computer wireless, and process the information to compose music and activate animation. The hardware and music will be made in collaboration with Andre Goncalves, and the software will be made under advise from Zachary Lieberman.
More drawings
More Picture
More Text
Current stage:
Photo: Christine A. Butler courtesy of Eyebeam
An early work in progress was presented at MIXER, EYEBEAM in March of 2009. The three objects, 'derailing machine', 'land mine turtle', and 'KAL 858 Jet Pack' are complete with analog system, while none of the electronic part has been created yet. In regards to the performance as a whole, I have about 20 pages script and about 30 drawings. Throughout the year, I will be working on the script, expecting to have about 200 pages of text and drawings in the end, which will be used as a base for the performance.
Grey Belt from Taeyoon Choi on Vimeo.
Grant will go to:
Rhizome grant will be used to produce the 'derailing machine' with interactive system using various sensor and microprocessor, and for fees of collaborators and technicians. And the remaining amount will be used for organization of the event in Fall.
Object Production $1500
Electronic hardware $1000
Transportation of art work from Cheon pyo Lee's studio in New Haven $500
Fee three collaborators $1000
Fee for technician $500
Event organization and publicity $500
Schedule:
September~November 2009: Production and system development
December~January 2010: Intensive rehearsal workshop in New York City
February~April 2010: Event organization and publicity
April 2010: One night performance event.
Final look:
A public performance at an unspecified performance venue in New York City in the spring of 2010. The piece will be 50 minutes, performed by Choi with audience participation, accompanied with live music by Andre Goncalves, staged objects by Cheon pyo Lee.
Work Sample: 
Object of Desire (2005)
In ‘Object of desire’, performer wears four web cameras, which snaps photograph each time his heart beats. The performer is wearing special costume and repeating expressive gestures, walks around tourist sites in Seoul. His cameras constantly shoot photos of the landscape and other tourists, in return the other tourists takes picture of him. The photograph and video captured from the camera are subjective documentation, intentionally displacing performer’s ability to decide when and what to take picture. Therefore, one can look at the city of Seoul through the camera’s point of view.
'Temporary Technology (2007)
Calling 1995'(2007) is a 6 minutes HD video. The video starts with a scene of the artist wandering around in an anonymous urban underground space, in search of better reception for the mobile phone. When the artist is finally outside of the building, the frame zooms out to reveal a newly built mega-size apartment. As the sound of telephone bell rings, meaning the mobile phone is connected to whoever he was calling, a very short flashing frames of the iconic image of collapsed 'Sampoong department store' is seen. The scene reveals the site of low mobile phone signal is actually the site of Sampoong tragedy. The video is screened inside of a small box theatre, a scale- miniature of Sampoong department store. The theatre is constructed of a special conducting material which blocks mobile phone signals, creating multiple layers of reality and fiction inside the theatre and the audience’s mobile phone.
More at www.tyshow.org
TAEYOON CHOI
is born in 1982, and works in New York City and Seoul.
Education:
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, USA, 2000-2004.
Bachelor of Fine Arts. Concentration in Performance and Film, Video, and New Media.
The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejon, South Korea, 2004-2007 Master of Science. Degree in Interdisciplinary studies of Culture Technology.
Selected Honor and Residency:
Grant for Interdisciplinary Project, The Arts Council of Korea, Seoul, South Korea, 2009
Commission for Artist in Residence, EYEBEAM Art and Technology Center, New York, USA, 2008
Young Artist Award, The Arts Council of Korea, Seoul, South Korea, 2007
Commission for Artist in Residence, Art Center Nabi, Seoul, South Korea, 2006
Selected Exhibition:
When Technology Fails, Reality Prevails, Solo Exhibition, Art Space Hue, Seoul, South Korea, 4/2007
Tourist and Travelers, Two Person Exhibition with Joseph Delappe, EYEBEAM Art and Technology Center, New York, USA, 6/2008
Digital Playground, Total Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea, 11/2007
Moveable Types and Instant Spaces, Container Culture, ISEA/Zero One, San Jose, San Jose, USA.
Selected Performance:
Grey Belt, MIXER, EYEBEAM Art and Technology Center, New York, 3/2009
Battle of Camerafield, People Art Technology, Namsan Drama Center and Art Center Nabi, Seoul, South Korea, 10/2007
Shoot me If You Can, DISLOCATE: Art, Technology and Locality, ZAIM, Yokohama, Yokohama, Japan, 7/2007
Selected Workshop and Teaching experience:
Drawing +-, Parsons New School for Design, Co-teaching with Zachary Lieberman, Spring/2009
Urban Programming 201. Gallery Sangsangmadang, Seoul, South Korea, 12/2008
Urban Programming 101. Upgrade! International, Skopje, Macedonia. 9/2008
Interactivos?, EYEBEAM Art and Technology Center, New York, USA, 7/2008
Selected Press and Reviews:
Hacking Seoul. Kontrol; Issue#1 “The pornography of fabricating fear”. Published by Nomad.tv. 2006.
Container Culture. Leornardo, Volume 39, Issue 4 - August 2006. MIT Press.