If a white crane have been to decide on a pair of trainers, would she gravitate in direction of some knee-high laces or stability her claws in yellow tabi stilettos?
Younger In Hong created a shoe assortment with these long-legged birds in thoughts. Entitled 'White Cranes and Snow', the playful sculptures are manufactured from woven reeds and nestled in a shallow subject of pebbles, interweaving references to chicken life and endangered craft traditions.
Based mostly in Bristol, Hong visited Korea within the winter of 2023 and witnessed a flock of uncommon cranes migrating to the demilitarized zone that divides the peninsula. “The as soon as blood-stained DMZ has now turn into an ecological paradise for cranes,” she says. “When nature is left alone, it might probably rebuild its lives, and after we as people observe different species extra carefully, we are able to be taught one thing from them that modifications our approach of being on the earth.”
Researchers estimate that within the seven a long time because the space was established, some “1,200 species of crops, 83 kinds of fish, 51 completely different mammals, and quite a few birds, bugs, and microorganisms” have thrived within the space, lots of which have been beforehand on the way in which endangered or threatened. .
Birdwatching impressed the most recent sequence in Hong's rising assortment of avian footwear. Each reference Gypsyflat sandals woven from straw and worn largely by farmers and the working class all through Korea. Reasonably priced and broadly accessible, sneakers would put on out shortly—a protracted day of strolling may burn a pair—and folks of the socioeconomic order knew easy methods to make them. Straws are additionally biodegradable Gypsy naturally sustainable.
To be taught the craft practiced for generations, Hong started working with Choong Kyung Lee, a grasp straw weaver from Asan in 2021. Collectively, they created quite a few tasks, together with sneakers appropriate for a child elephant, giraffe, kangaroo, heron , gorilla and bear. “For me, working with Lee was a journey to open my eyes to pure fiber weaving, part of Korea's historical past that has not been totally written about,” stated Hong.
For “White Cranes and Snowfall,” the artist pulled out particular personalities to encourage every design, slightly than pondering of the birds as nameless entities. Displayed collectively, the sculptures turn into a stand-in for neighborhood and gathering—and maybe a cheeky but pressing request to think about your self in one other's sneakers, even when these sneakers belong to a different species. The artist provides:
For me, fictionalizing the collective white cranes and visualizing them by way of humorously designed sneakers is to remind us that birds are like us, expressing tastes and preferences in addition to having completely different characters and personalities.
“White Cranes and Snow” is on view till November 7 at Secession in Vienna. Two of Hong's textile works are additionally on view this month as a part of the seventh Changwon Sculpture Biennale, and he or she is presently getting ready for 2 solo exhibitions, one opening on the Artwork Sonje Heart in Could and one other on the PKM Gallery in September. Learn an archive of her work on her web site and Instagram.
