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Description
Avariel.Avarice(박창환) . Digital Monument of a Desolate Planet . 3m 31s . Digital . 2023

-Video link
grafolio.naver.com/works/24558…

On a planet that was once blue, a single machine artifact glimmers in an abandoned, desolate city devoid of any signs of life. Imperfect digital monuments intermittently emit light, barely hanging on, surrounded by machinery that flickers and appears as if it could break down at any moment. The digital information of the monument has also been partially damaged. Nonetheless, even in the darkness that obscures the sun, this light is rare to find in a pitch-black city. And there is a small being silently guarding the monument.

A small, tentacled creature, resembling a helmet-shaped structure that floats around, moves its short tentacles as it gazes upon the monument. The helmet moves through the air without propulsion, and the small octopus examines what is recorded on the monument, flapping its fins slowly, almost resembling wings. What could it be thinking?

I remember the last moments of this small companion. Once upon a time, to save countless creatures swimming freely in the blue and vast oceans, I gave it the role of a messenger, and after as many creatures as possible were archived, it left the real sea and settled in a virtual world as the very last one. The black cubes that people had placed in the ocean quickly depleted the oxygen in the sea and caused it to boil, turning the last natural space of the wild into a desolate wasteland. And the remains of the organisms that left for a new world in the deep sea become a giant tomb, and the top of it, little dumbo octopus closed its eyes quietly.

Until now, this tomb has remained unchanged. As the oxygen depleted and the composition of the seawater changed, even the bacteria disappeared without a trace, and the door to the arkive was closed, and the tides ceased to flow, turning the tomb into a giant saltwater reservoir. Within it, the remains of organisms are covered in white salt crystals, as if sculptures guarding their place. People are unaware of the existence of these salt sculptures. But in my eyes, the two sculptures they created overlap. The magnificent and elegant monument resembles the salt tomb, even its white color shimmering gloomily in the deep sea.

The blue sea and colorful coral reefs, sparkling white glaciers and snowscapes that emit light from the monument, and the blue sky and green trees that give longing like the sea, even though the dumbo octopus may not have seen it directly, it reflects in its small eyes and helmet. Would it want to go back? With intelligence, language, and the world, but can they compare to the real sea? Or is it just curiosity? Recollection? What is it thinking? An inexplicable heaviness settles upon my heart.

-Description of a work

Standing at the peak of a glittering civilization, they erected a monument imbued with a sense of commemoration, as they reflected on their past and attempted to alleviate their guilt. However, in the end, their final moments were no different from what they had inscribed on the memorial. There were likely few who could truly mourn while gazing upon the monument. The things that had already passed, the things that had disappeared, were too distant in time, and the glory of the civilization they enjoyed was too comfortable and resplendent to contemplate. Moreover, as they had simply named it a monument, the significance as a memorial was likely secondary to them as well.

The monument became a symbol of arrogance, as nobody truly mourned and it became nothing more than a tribute to their own civilization. If they had been able to truly empathize with the meaning of mourning and confront their own conscience, would the situation have been different?

When I first thought about this monument, I was an extremely radical person when it came to environmental issues. Seeing forests being cut down, glaciers melting, and certain species being threatened with extinction made me angry, and I became obsessed with environmental activism. As a result, I checked the ingredients of every food I ate, became a vegetarian, and refused to buy products that produced plastic or vinyl waste, obsessively cleaning and collecting any waste that I did produce. However, anger and obsession quickly consumed me, and I could not sustain these activities for more than two years. In the meantime, I developed self-loathing and climate depression, questioning my own existence and struggling with depression as I realized that my actions were ultimately futile. In the end, I had to spend a long time in deep and pervasive introspection.

As time passed, I tried to look at things more broadly. I realized that there are many inevitable things that happen as people live and develop, and that it is often difficult to distinguish right from wrong when things are so intertwined. Although there are certainly points to be outraged about, I have come to realize that it is not feasible to simply stop everything and try to fix it all. Ultimately, even though there may not be a huge difference in what I can do as an individual, my attitude and way of thinking about these issues has changed. In the past, I was just an ignorant extremist, and my cries for environmental protection were nothing but a misguided belief that I was doing the right thing. Now, I try to do what I can and let go of what's already happened, while also mourning for what has been lost. The current monument holds that kind of meaning for me - it represents my past arrogance, as well as regret, guilt, remorse, and mourning. It could be a self-reproach for my inability to be more proactive, or it could be a reflection of regret, guilt, remorse, and mourning for the destroyed city and the remnants left behind, which could lead to greater remorse in the future.

Description
Avariel.Avarice(박창환) . Digital Monument of a Desolate Planet . 3m 31s . Digital . 2023

-Video link
grafolio.naver.com/works/24558…

On a planet that was once blue, a single machine artifact glimmers in an abandoned, desolate city devoid of any signs of life. Imperfect digital monuments intermittently emit light, barely hanging on, surrounded by machinery that flickers and appears as if it could break down at any moment. The digital information of the monument has also been partially damaged. Nonetheless, even in the darkness that obscures the sun, this light is rare to find in a pitch-black city. And there is a small being silently guarding the monument.

A small, tentacled creature, resembling a helmet-shaped structure that floats around, moves its short tentacles as it gazes upon the monument. The helmet moves through the air without propulsion, and the small octopus examines what is recorded on the monument, flapping its fins slowly, almost resembling wings. What could it be thinking?

I remember the last moments of this small companion. Once upon a time, to save countless creatures swimming freely in the blue and vast oceans, I gave it the role of a messenger, and after as many creatures as possible were archived, it left the real sea and settled in a virtual world as the very last one. The black cubes that people had placed in the ocean quickly depleted the oxygen in the sea and caused it to boil, turning the last natural space of the wild into a desolate wasteland. And the remains of the organisms that left for a new world in the deep sea become a giant tomb, and the top of it, little dumbo octopus closed its eyes quietly.

Until now, this tomb has remained unchanged. As the oxygen depleted and the composition of the seawater changed, even the bacteria disappeared without a trace, and the door to the arkive was closed, and the tides ceased to flow, turning the tomb into a giant saltwater reservoir. Within it, the remains of organisms are covered in white salt crystals, as if sculptures guarding their place. People are unaware of the existence of these salt sculptures. But in my eyes, the two sculptures they created overlap. The magnificent and elegant monument resembles the salt tomb, even its white color shimmering gloomily in the deep sea.

The blue sea and colorful coral reefs, sparkling white glaciers and snowscapes that emit light from the monument, and the blue sky and green trees that give longing like the sea, even though the dumbo octopus may not have seen it directly, it reflects in its small eyes and helmet. Would it want to go back? With intelligence, language, and the world, but can they compare to the real sea? Or is it just curiosity? Recollection? What is it thinking? An inexplicable heaviness settles upon my heart.

-Description of a work

Standing at the peak of a glittering civilization, they erected a monument imbued with a sense of commemoration, as they reflected on their past and attempted to alleviate their guilt. However, in the end, their final moments were no different from what they had inscribed on the memorial. There were likely few who could truly mourn while gazing upon the monument. The things that had already passed, the things that had disappeared, were too distant in time, and the glory of the civilization they enjoyed was too comfortable and resplendent to contemplate. Moreover, as they had simply named it a monument, the significance as a memorial was likely secondary to them as well.

The monument became a symbol of arrogance, as nobody truly mourned and it became nothing more than a tribute to their own civilization. If they had been able to truly empathize with the meaning of mourning and confront their own conscience, would the situation have been different?

When I first thought about this monument, I was an extremely radical person when it came to environmental issues. Seeing forests being cut down, glaciers melting, and certain species being threatened with extinction made me angry, and I became obsessed with environmental activism. As a result, I checked the ingredients of every food I ate, became a vegetarian, and refused to buy products that produced plastic or vinyl waste, obsessively cleaning and collecting any waste that I did produce. However, anger and obsession quickly consumed me, and I could not sustain these activities for more than two years. In the meantime, I developed self-loathing and climate depression, questioning my own existence and struggling with depression as I realized that my actions were ultimately futile. In the end, I had to spend a long time in deep and pervasive introspection.

As time passed, I tried to look at things more broadly. I realized that there are many inevitable things that happen as people live and develop, and that it is often difficult to distinguish right from wrong when things are so intertwined. Although there are certainly points to be outraged about, I have come to realize that it is not feasible to simply stop everything and try to fix it all. Ultimately, even though there may not be a huge difference in what I can do as an individual, my attitude and way of thinking about these issues has changed. In the past, I was just an ignorant extremist, and my cries for environmental protection were nothing but a misguided belief that I was doing the right thing. Now, I try to do what I can and let go of what's already happened, while also mourning for what has been lost. The current monument holds that kind of meaning for me - it represents my past arrogance, as well as regret, guilt, remorse, and mourning. It could be a self-reproach for my inability to be more proactive, or it could be a reflection of regret, guilt, remorse, and mourning for the destroyed city and the remnants left behind, which could lead to greater remorse in the future.