Reconstructing Sequences

Woongryeol Lee

〈Sharing Loss〉, 2024.

Pavilion installation, processed plastic waste, dimensions variable.
Commissioned by the National Asian Culture Center. Courtesy of the artist.

Woongryeol Lee has been working with materials that are normally disregarded in our lives, such as discarded wood, toys, and objects. Working under the name Gom Design, Lee designs and develops exhibition spaces and seeks ways to reuse waste materials that are generated during the process of creating and dismantling spaces.

Before the establishment of the former Jeollanam-do Provincial Office, the Gwangju-eupseong Fortressused to stand on the site of the current ACC. The stone fortress provided the city with strong protection against storms and external invasions, while also serving as a village boundary fence guarding the lives of the residents and providing shelter from the summer sun. However, during the Japanese occupation, the fortress was dismantled and the buildings within its walls were demolished or refurbished. The artist speculates that the stones from the ruined fortress were reused in various ways, including as foundation stones or walls of private houses. In short, these stones from the outermost edge of the village found new functions within individual houses.

Sharing Loss, contrary to the fortress stones that were reused by individuals, gathers plastics discarded by individuals or communities and rebuilds the past Gwangju-eupseong Fortress. Plastic, used and thrown away with ease, is a significant part of our daily lives. Rather than reducing our use of plastic, upcycling is garnering attention as a more realistic solution.

Using recyclable plastic modules made from plastic waste, the artist has built a strong fortress pavilion that can provide a protective boundary and a resting place for visitors to the ACC.