Installation of 'Citizen Participation Media Art' at Songpa Dullegil Seongnaecheon Pedestrian Tunnel

Completion of Work Through Interviews with 155 Residents Introducing the Concept of 'Gonggan Saengae-sa'

Artwork Opening Ceremony

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Songpa-gu (Mayor Park Seong-su) installed the citizen-participatory media art "Where Do You Live Now?" at the Seongnaecheon pedestrian tunnel on the Songpa Dullegil Trail (452-6 Bangi-dong) and opened it to the public from the 5th.

This work is part of a public art project hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, and organized by Songpa-gu.

After selecting artist Song Su-hee through a public contest earlier this year, the work was presented on the Seongnaecheon course of the Songpa Dullegil Trail, developed as a key project of the district, following a five-month production process.

Artist Song Su-hee majored in art theory and art management at Korea National University of Arts and Seoul National University. In 2015, she debuted by winning the Newcomer Award in the novel category of "21st Century Literature" with her short story "Hikari," and has since created various works related to personal narratives within spaces and places through sound art pieces such as "Yeongyeong" and "Gyosan Records."

The work was created as a citizen-participatory project under the theme "Where Do You Live Now?" In particular, it utilized the concept of "spatial life history," which views individual lives through the movement of spaces and places, based on citizen interviews.

To this end, citizens were asked questions such as "What does home mean to you?" and "What is the significance of moving residences?" through both face-to-face and non-face-to-face methods. Interviewees ranged from 8-year-old children to elderly women in their 80s and foreigners residing in Korea.

A total of 155 interviews were converted into 250,000 characters of text to complete the work. Stories included those of a woman in her 70s who sold a gold ring given at her wedding over 50 years ago to buy her current home, a young person who viewed home not as ownership but through the Buddhist philosophy of "bangsasi," meaning sharing with others, and citizens who wished to live with many animals in nature.

The interview contents are displayed like a Milky Way of stars on the LED panels on the ceiling of the Seongnaecheon pedestrian tunnel. Visitors can also listen to the interviews via tunnel speakers and QR codes on their mobile phones. The installation operates from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The district is working to improve the environment of the Seongnaecheon course, which attracts the most visitors among the Songpa Dullegil trails. Previously dark and cramped bicycle tunnels were brightened with murals, and the pedestrian tunnel was transformed into a cultural space through the installation of this artwork.

Park Seong-su, Mayor of Songpa-gu, stated, "This work is more valuable because it is led by Songpa artists and involves resident participation," adding, "With the completion of the Songpa Dullegil Trail, we will create various attractions and cultural spaces throughout the area so that many artists can showcase their artistic talents in Songpa, making it a representative walking tourism destination in Seoul loved by residents and visitors alike."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.