Episode 60: The Person from the Future
White rice, crispy grilled croaker, sweet and savory seasoned dried squid, and toasted spinach salad.
Yujin Lim had prepared a delicious dinner as usual.
However, her always cheerful son seemed a bit off.
Today, he seemed somewhat gloomy. His deep eyes were filled with thoughts.
Yujin Lim quietly spoke to Kang Lim, who was sipping his seaweed soup.
“Did something bad happen at school?”
“No? Why?”
Kang Lim spoke as if he had no idea what kind of expression he had on his face.
“Haha, never mind if it’s nothing.”
Yujin Lim glanced around at the studio Kang Lim used.
Since early this morning, the movers had come and taken all the paintings, leaving the place empty.
Maybe he feels empty because of that.
Yujin Lim said,
“Kang Lim, about the moving company that relocated your paintings to your new studio…”
“Yes, they did a good job. I even received photos from my friend showing the delivery was complete.”
“Yeah, it was amazing to see them pack everything so efficiently.”
“Haha, they’re professionals after all.”
“But, I noticed the truck had the logo of the Jeil Group and the name Heyum Art Museum on it… Do they offer moving services too?”
“Oh, that.”
Kang Lim thought he should tell his mother about becoming a sponsored artist at Heyum before it was officially announced.
“I only mentioned the moving part, but actually, I was selected as a sponsored artist by Heyum. They provide a studio there. From now on, I’ll be working there. During vacations, I’ll be working in France too. I should have told you earlier, but it slipped my mind.”
“Oh my, you’re going abroad? That’s great! Heyum is a prestigious place!”
Yujin Lim clapped her hands with a big smile.
Heyum was one of the top art museums, frequently featured alongside Dongdaemun Design Plaza in promotional videos by the Korea Tourism Organization.
There was no reason not to be happy.
“Why the gloomy face when you have such good news! I thought you were feeling empty because the studio was cleared out. You’ve always drawn there since you were little.”
“Oh, it’s not that. Moving to a bigger space is good. It’s not like our home studio is a cherished stuffed animal.”
“Haha, that’s funny.”
The reason for Kang Lim’s serious expression was that he kept pondering the assignment given by Hae Young Gu.
How can one pose a question that the world needs?
It was a task that encompassed very broad concepts.
As Kang Lim thought deeply, it suddenly occurred to him that his mother might have good advice.
Since novels provide an opportunity to experience other people’s lives, his mother must have thought deeply about the society people live in.
“Mom.”
“Yes.”
“What do you think the world needs? What kind of question should be asked to present a vision for the future?”
“Wow… That’s a tough question to ask suddenly. It’s enough to give me indigestion while eating.”
“Haha, this is the assignment I received today.”
“Oh my, the assignment level is really high. No wonder you looked gloomy.”
“Did I look gloomy? I’m sorry if I worried you.”
“No.”
Yujin Lim chewed her food thoughtfully along with her son.
There are so many things the world needs and lacks.
Our planet continually faces various problems.
There’s a saying that the Earth would be perfect if it weren’t for humans.
“…Kang Lim, the world has so many problems that even if a vision is presented, it would be hard to set things right. It would be great if art could change the world, but that’s too difficult… However, even if it’s not such a heavy topic, wouldn’t it be good if your art could comfort people…?”
“Of course, such works are good too. But works that make people realize something they’ve forgotten are also necessary. I think that’s why this assignment was given.”
“Hmm… I don’t know much about art, but it sounds a lot like literature.”
“Both are fields of art, so they must intersect at some points.”
“That’s true. Then let’s watch TV; the news always shows what’s lacking in the world.”
“Ah, sounds good.”
Kang Lim pressed the power button on the remote control on his desk, and the 8 o’clock news channel came on.
The anchor, with precise pronunciation and an expressionless face, reported today’s events.
A suicide bombing occurred in southeastern Iran, killing 42 people.
In an old tent, white shrouds presumed to be of the deceased were being transported.
The number of deaths had long become a numb statistic for many people.
The anchor moved on to the next piece of news.
This time, a story closer to home: a report on the recent spree of indiscriminate killings spreading like an epidemic.
Why are people so angry?
‘Incidents keep happening all over the world… Why do people watch the news? To not fall behind on information everyone knows?’
Kang Lim thought that perhaps people unconsciously watched the news to reassure themselves, ‘At least I’m safe today.’
Such is the world where you never know what fate you might face.
After returning, the world repeated exactly as he knew it.
Major events that were likely to happen occurred without change.
In the early 2000s, Al-Qaeda’s 9/11 attacks brought down the Twin Towers.
In 2003, the Iraq War broke out.
And in 2008, when the Sichuan earthquake happened in China.
Kang Lim knew that in 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami would hit northeastern Japan.
He was someone who already knew the events of the future.
‘Natural disasters are beyond human control, so they can’t be helped. But the government’s responses to them were wrong.’
What happened to the people who trusted and followed the government?
They became victims without even realizing it and were politically exploited.
This was the nature of the world.
The value of trust had become less useful than a piece of cheap tissue.
No one calls someone who trusts another person pure anymore.
That person is just naive and foolish.
‘But it’s not like a speck of dust like me can do anything about it…’
Whenever Kang Lim encountered major events again, he felt a peculiar sense of helplessness.
After returning, he had the opportunity to live a completely different and happier life, but there were far more people on Earth who weren’t so lucky.
After death, he gained new life and a memory ability similar to superpowers.
But Kang Lim was not a hero.
What happened to him was fantasy, but the place he still stood was reality.
As dreadful events continued to intertwine,
What arose among people were suspicions, hatred, conflicts, and animosity.
Reflecting on numerous events in his mind, Kang Lim realized one simple, clear fact.
‘What the world needs is love.’
A few days later.
The sculpture art students were gathered around the communal table in the studio.
Everyone sighed while rolling pencils over small sketchbooks.
This was typical of art students.
They spent weeks just planning before starting their projects.
Coming up with ideas for their work was that challenging.
Moreover, Hae Young Gu’s assignment was extremely difficult.
So much so that it was hard to even lift a finger.
Lee Hyunseong, watching Isora diligently reading a book these days, asked,
“Noona, what are you studying so hard these days?”
Isora had been scolded by Gerald for a mistake about Impressionism during her last presentation.
Since then, she had been studying art history diligently and had been curious about modern and contemporary art, asking Kang Lim for various materials.
Showing the book she was reading to Lee Hyunseong, Isora said,
“This is ‘The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction’ by Walter Benjamin. Kang Lim summarized the original text to make it easier to understand. He said if I read this, I can deeply understand Nam June Paik’s art world.”
“Gosh, that guy is crazy.”
Lee Hyunseong avoided the book with an expression of distaste.
He meant that he couldn’t stand looking at the convoluted writings of geniuses.
Instead, Seoyeon, who had been lying down next to him, sat up with a curious expression and said,
“Can I see that?”
“Of course, you can.”
Yoon Jangmi, also curious, came over to read Kang Lim’s notes with Seoyeon.
[‘My position is the same as that of Louis Pasteur, who said the greatest enemy is not visible or perceivable. Our traditional response to all media is a state of idiocy and sensory paralysis towards technology.’ - Here, the idiotic state means being unaware of one’s condition being captivated by technological effects. This is unilaterally conveyed and captivates our consciousness…]
Seoyeon was impressed by Kang Lim’s interpretation of the original text.
At this level, he was almost like a translator.
If he could read and analyze the original text like this, he wasn’t just good at communication.
Yoon Jangmi, reading the notes with Seoyeon, then made a face like Lee Hyunseong and said,
“Haha, I don’t want to react like Hyunseong, but this is really difficult. I realized that Kang Lim was speaking simply for our sake. He usually reads stuff like this…”
“Indeed, he’s amazing…”
“Sora, you’re impressive too, trying to read this.”
Taking back the notes from the two, Isora said,
“Even if I read Kang Lim’s interpretation, I can understand maybe a fraction of what Walter Benjamin said. By the way, where is he these days? Did he finish planning Professor Hae Young Gu’s project?”
To Isora’s question, Lee Hyunseong shook his head vigorously and said,
“Is he an ordinary person? He started working on the project the day after we got it. He’s practically living in the printmaking studio these days.”
“Ah, really? As expected, he’s quick. I’m really looking forward to seeing what he presents this time.”
Kang Lim was already raising the level of the sculpture art students.
Having an outstanding person always positively influences those around them.
The students, thinking of Kang Lim working hard, resumed their idea sketches.
Sculpture Art Printmaking Studio.
Kang Lim was planning to create a completely different type of work from what he had done before.
No, it was an art that combined everything he had done so far.
A project that would pour out all the skills and concepts he had honed until now.
‘When I wrote a fairy tale before, I felt an excitement like riding a Viking for the first time.’
He planned to incorporate the ideas he thought of then into this project.
A new form of work that included stories, paintings, and sculptures.
Kang Lim wanted to create a work where language and art interacted together.
‘It’s a heavy topic, but if there’s an interesting story, it can reach people more closely.’
Like Saint-Exupéry’s “The Little Prince,” which is loved by many.
Everyone knows the story of the hat in it.
The scene where an ordinary-looking black hat appears as an elephant swallowed by a boa constrictor.
Kang Lim wanted to create a story that could elicit various responses from people in a similar way.
A simple yet symbolic story.
Kang Lim drew 15 pictures on a copper plate.
Below each picture was a sentence of the story.
It was like a picture diary.
This was a symbolic story showing a world without love.
Since it was a mystical story, Kang Lim wanted the drawn images to have a mythical feel.
As if witnessing the beginning of humanity.
‘To create a mythical feel, copperplate engraving is definitely good.’
Copperplate engraving is commonly used for making banknotes.
If you look at the drawings depicted on banknotes, you can see that they feature extremely fine and intricate lines.
And through this effect, an analog aesthetic can be created.
‘It looks like a really old map.’
Copperplate engraving involves soaking the copper plate in acid to etch it.
The darkness of the etching depends on the length of time it is soaked; the longer it’s soaked, the darker it becomes.
Also, various effects can be achieved depending on the material used to scratch the plate.
Kang Lim wanted to create a unique, painterly feel rather than just linear elements like on banknotes.
Instead of using only sharp needles to scratch the plate, he used various types of scrapers and roulettes.
Using these tools allowed him to create countless points on the copper plate over a wider area than with needles.
In terms of drawing, it’s like building up areas to create a distant, atmospheric effect.
‘Let’s make multiple prints and choose the best ones.’
Kang Lim deliberately left some ink on the plate to give a rough, earthy feel.
After letting the ink settle into the engraved parts, he wiped off the excess ink from the rest of the plate.
He then placed the copper plate under the press.
Taking a deep breath,
He turned the press at a steady pace.
Thud thud thud.
As the plate rolled through, the first print emerged.
The picture with the title of the story.
“The Woman’s Bag”
The woman was holding a heart-shaped bag.
