Episode 62: Each Assigned Role
Presentation Day.
Goo Haeyoung walked around the students’ works, adding words of advice.
Kang Lim also followed Goo Haeyoung, observing the students’ pieces.
‘They’ve definitely improved a lot since the first semester. In the materials science class, they learned various genres, so now they’re making their own works well.’
Goo Haeyoung’s thoughts were not different from Kang Lim’s.
She had thought that very few people would be able to properly complete such a difficult assignment, but the quality of the works was better than expected.
She was proud to see that everyone had worked hard in their own way.
“You can see that everyone has maximized their capabilities within their abilities.”
The students were delighted by Goo Haeyoung’s praise.
Especially, the students who had finished their turn sighed in relief and looked satisfied.
Now, only the students known for being good were left, and people were saying they wanted to quickly see their works.
Sure enough, the students entering Yoon Jangmi’s partition next spoke with bright eyes.
“Wow, unnie is truly a master of crafts.”
“Right, it’s amazing. Isn’t that an animal? What was its name again?”
“Armadillo!”
Goo Haeyoung was satisfied with the high completeness of the work.
Basically, a work must have a good form before it has meaning.
Thoughts are important, but the vessel that contains those thoughts is equally important.
When the form is established first, people become curious about the content, and the work gains persuasiveness.
“Well done. The student who made this, please come forward and explain. And the rest of you, feel free to exchange opinions.”
At Goo Haeyoung’s words, Yoon Jangmi came forward.
The armadillo was placed on a white pedestal.
It was a presentation setup that had been carefully prepared.
Pointing to her work, Yoon Jangmi said,
“What do people forget to live with? I think the core of this assignment is to remind us of important meanings. So I chose environmental pollution as my theme. Everyone recognizes it as serious, but we naturally tend to ignore it.
My work is simple. I wanted to give a visual shock with a piece so delicately made that people wouldn’t realize it’s made of recycled materials, making them rethink discarded waste.”
Only then did the students look again at Yoon Jangmi’s armadillo.
The armadillo, about the size of a forearm, glittered with a silver sheen, seeming like a sculpture made of metal from afar.
However, upon closer inspection, it felt too light for metal.
It was made by washing and dismantling recycled cans, using the inside so that no labels were seen.
It was a work that showcased Yoon Jangmi’s unique craft skills.
“I cut the cylindrical cans and flattened them into smooth rectangles, then pieced them together to form the basic structure of the armadillo. After that, I gathered only the can lids and attached them densely to express the armadillo’s scales.”
As the students admired and praised, Yoon Jangmi continued, a bit embarrassed.
“I once saw a large canopy that Kang Lim made in Hongdae, and it was so shiny and beautiful that it was hard to believe it was made of recycled materials. So I thought I should try crafting with waste too. I feel a bit embarrassed to be praised since I might have copied the idea.”
When Kang Lim flinched at the mention of his name, Lee Sora smiled and said,
“Turning waste into art started with Rauschenberg’s works in the 1950s. At that time, most countries began releasing large-scale industrial waste, so artists used waste to reflect the zeitgeist.
In other words, junk art was already a genre of art, so you didn’t steal the idea. Also, such works can highlight not only environmental issues but also the reality of mass consumption in capitalism through waste.”
Kang Lim looked at Lee Sora, who was eloquently speaking, with amazement.
She had recently asked him to recommend various books and even borrowed his notes summarizing the original texts…
She had changed.
Agreeing with Lee Sora, Kang Lim spoke,
“That’s right. And I intentionally mixed a lot of visible recycled plastics into my work, using transparent plastics with clear hues to make the fact that they were recycled obvious.
But unnie’s craftwork is so delicately made that it’s hard to tell it’s made of recycled materials, as she barely painted or deformed the materials. So, it’s somewhat different from my approach.”
Goo Haeyoung nodded, listening to the students’ free discussion.
In art, the role of pioneers is important, but so is the role of artists who deepen the genres pioneered by those trailblazers.
The students were pointing out this aspect well.
Goo Haeyoung smiled contentedly and said,
“Exactly. Even within the same genre, different methods of using materials can make it feel different.
For example, among artists who do junk art, there are two who use discarded cars: Cesar and John Chamberlain.
These two share the same material and genre but are recognized for completely different works.
That’s because the process of selecting which elements of the cars to use, how much to alter the original form, and how to combine them differs.
Likewise, Kang Lim’s work perfectly functions as an installation sculpture with splendid aesthetics, while Yoon Jangmi’s work brings out a simple yet intricate charm as a craft piece. Both are excellent works.”
Kang Lim was surprised to learn that Goo Haeyoung had seen his work displayed in Hongdae.
For some reason, he felt a sense of pride.
It was only natural to feel happy knowing that the professor he respected the most was paying attention to him.
“Well done. Let’s move to the next student’s place.”
The students moved with excited expressions, laughing.
This time, it was Shin Taemin’s turn.
The classroom was full of interesting things to see.
At Shin Taemin’s place, there was a large canvas with three figures painted on it.
His skill in painting self-portraits was still evident.
The smooth skin texture and moist eyes painted in oil impressed the students.
The large faces painted on the canvas.
Portraits themselves create a strong tension.
‘He said before that painting suits him best, and he declared that he would only paint…’
Kang Lim admired the courage of submitting such a large canvas.
Usually, it’s hard to find a student with such guts in front of a professor specializing in three-dimensional art.
Such boldness can sometimes appeal to the professor.
“Alright, please explain.”
Kang Lim glanced at Goo Haeyoung’s expression.
Sure enough, she looked quite interested.
As expected, professors have one common trait.
If you’re good at something, it’s okay.
Shin Taemin stepped forward to explain his painting.
“What has the world forgotten, and how can we suggest the direction it should go…
Honestly, this assignment was so difficult that I thought a lot.
But no matter how much I racked my brains, I couldn’t come up with a good idea.
I kept thinking about the issue of racial discrimination.
So I decided to paint portraits divided into major races: white, black, and Asian.
That’s how this painting came to be.”
Although the painting had enough completeness to evoke various meanings, Shin Taemin explained his work mechanism without embellishment.
Kang Lim chuckled. As expected, he’s not one to lie.
“The difference between my painting and a regular portrait is that I merged various faces to create the most representative features of each race. Since I’ve always painted self-portraits, it was personally interesting not to depict a specific person.
And to express the theme well, I swapped the skin colors of each individual. I wanted people to think from a different perspective.”
Goo Haeyoung, looking at the painting, spoke with a slightly dissatisfied expression.
“The depiction skill is good. However, racial discrimination cannot simply be said to stem from skin color alone, and it feels too focused on color, which is a pity. You could have revealed historical elements through the characters’ clothing, accessories, or backgrounds.”
Nodding, Shin Taemin answered,
“While racial discrimination cannot simply be attributed to skin color, I thought it was the most prominent element to highlight. So I gave the white person black skin, the black person Asian skin, and the Asian person… the skin of Southeast Asians who are not shown on this canvas.
Even in our country, multicultural families or foreign immigrants often face discrimination, and I wanted to include that part.”
Goo Haeyoung nodded, appreciating the inclusion of the unseen individual’s skin color.
She liked the idea of not depicting a person who felt excluded from discrimination on the canvas but only showing their skin color.
Considering the roughly one month given for the assignment, she thought he had expressed the theme well.
‘However, it’s a pity that everyone focuses on depicting a single issue…’
Goo Haeyoung hoped someone would address the overall flow of human issues.
And she would be even more delighted if someone created a new genre that didn’t exist before.
Though it would be difficult even for Kang Lim…
Goo Haeyoung wondered if she was being too greedy as she moved to the next place.
But she couldn’t help feeling excited as she moved to Kang Lim’s place.
Kang Lim was always a student who exceeded her expectations.
“Let’s move to the next student’s place.”
The students had the same thoughts as Goo Haeyoung.
Everyone looked serious, as if a practice game had ended and now the main game was starting.
It felt like the inevitable had finally arrived.
Kang Lim was still not accustomed to this atmosphere.
There was nothing in Kang Lim’s partition, leaving the students a bit confused.
They already thought he looked too tired. Could it be that he didn’t finish his work…
While everyone was checking Goo Haeyoung’s reaction, Kang Lim approached a large locker.
He had locked it with a key to only take it out during the presentation.
“I’m really sorry for making a fuss. I had paint splattered on a previous work, so I put it inside here. Of course, it was during a common practical class, so there were a lot of people.”
Some students, who had heard about the damaged work, nodded in understanding.
They agreed that they would have half-killed the person responsible if it were their work, and the surroundings became noisy.
However, since Kang Lim usually didn’t hide his work like this, many were curious.
Without a word, Kang Lim took out the sculpture from the locker.
A round object wrapped in black cloth and bubble wrap.
Carefully placing it on the desk, he unwrapped it.
As the black cloth disappeared, a white heart appeared.
A heart that looked like it might start pulsing at any moment…
The classroom fell silent for a moment.
When Rodin first presented his sculpture,
People accused Rodin of unethically applying plaster directly on a model to cast the form.
They said he had worked unethically…
That’s how realistically he sculpted.
The students had always thought of that story as an absurd tale made up to glorify a dead artist.
But seeing Kang Lim’s work today, they understood.
It was as if he had cast a living person’s heart exactly.
Even though it was a white heart without any color, it felt like blood was flowing through it.
However, such a large heart did not exist…
When the silence was broken, the students cheered for Kang Lim, saying he had every right to make a fuss.
Although a bit embarrassed by the heated praise, Kang Lim decided to explain his work.
“I wanted to talk about the overall human issues, that flow of problems. I believe all issues stem from human nature.”
When he began to speak, the noisy students all fell silent.
“For example, the environmental pollution and racial discrimination issues mentioned earlier by Jangmi unnie and Taemin are ultimately caused by human arrogance and selfishness.
This human nature forms groups with people who share similar thoughts and excludes those who don’t. They selectively gather information they want, leading to mutual suspicion and deepening emotional rifts.”
The students agreed that all problems shared the commonality of human selfishness.
Seeing the nodding students, Kang Lim continued,
“For instance, regarding racial discrimination, not all white people are born hating black people. Rather, it is politically motivated to keep white people in a superior position, constantly using the media.
By frequently and exaggeratedly reporting black crime cases, they established the stereotype that ‘black people are dangerous.’ They manipulated the majority’s minds to enact openly discriminatory laws.”
Leaders of the group have used this method to make ordinary people’s thoughts align with theirs.
Delivering one-sided information and trapping people in cognitive biases.
“I fundamentally wanted to depict the phenomenon where human selfishness… the tendency to form groups and create hierarchies, leads to a world where there is no trust, only suspicion and hatred. I wanted to talk about a world where love has vanished.
So, I made this heart and hid the story I wanted to tell inside this heart.
This is the bag she left behind.”
The students tilted their heads at the incomprehensible statement.
How could that heart be the bag she left behind? What on earth was he talking about?
Moreover, Kang Lim looked extremely exhausted, as if he had no soul.
Did he become so tired from making that he started babbling nonsense?
As the surroundings became noisy again,
Kang Lim opened the heart.
