WEBZINE ACC

Punghwa, Light of ASEAN, a media art exhibition newly born from the convergence of art and technology, is an interactive media art piece that is inspired by water, light, and sky lanterns.
Punghwa (風火: wind and fire), the symbol of eternity; Myohwa (妙火: mysterious fire), a warm light offered by an incandescent light bulb; and water, which symbolizes connection.
Punghwa, Light of ASEAN captures the founding hopes of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), which include People, Peace, and Prosperity.

A dear wish for harmony and peace in Asia

In 'Punghwa, Light of ASEAN', the artist uses the primordial features of nature, namely water, light, and wind, as the foundation of the work.
In I Ching (Book of Changes: 易經), a classic text of East Asian thought, wind (風) symbolizes above, fire (火) symbolizes below. The wind coming from above is intended by the divinity to reach into even the smallest corners in the world. The fire brings light as a bearer of the Sun and truth. Here, "above" and "below" do not refer to their stations, but the roles.
They are staying faithful to their respective roles, the wind for the wind's, the light for the light's, and the water for the water's. Through this faithfulness, the wind, the light, and the water become one.

The wish expressed by Punghwa, Light of ASEAN, People, Peace, and Prosperity, likewise symbolize the unifying hope of ASEAN. Just as the sky lanterns in the past symbolized the expression of wishes for the Asian societies of the past, so did the cheonha-daejanggun and jiha-yeojanggun of the Korean jangseung (village guardians) symbolize the wish for peace and well-being of the village. These Asian wishes for harmony and peace are projected wholly onto the sky lanterns floating on the gentle waves.

Digital technology and analog emotions

The exhibition Punghwa (風火), Light of ASEAN, created jointly by the Asia Culture Center (ACC, director Lee Kanghyun) and the media art group "SILO Lab.", was revealed to the world in the ACC in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Korea-ASEAN dialogue in 2019. Afterwards, it was exhibited in various exhibition venues across Korea, from Busan's ASEAN Cultural House to Damyang's Dambit Arts Warehouse, the opening exhibition of Nonsan's Yeonsan Cultural Warehouse, and Hyundai Department Store Trade Center. Many enterprises and cultural organizations have expressed their wishes to host the exhibition as well.

The artists of SILO Lab sought to unravel the uniquely cold character of the digital element through warmth. While the installation utilizes highly advanced technology, the technology is not at its center, instead being arrayed harmonically with the space. To create an effect of water, they believe that it is more proper to use real water instead of videos of water. The light used in the installation reflects the deep thought that went into the task of bringing the warmth of light alive. Their artistic world combines technology, but do not reveal their involvement in it: Their world uses the latest digital technologies to bring an analog experience.

ACC Foundation in the cultural content distribution business

The rapturous praise given to the work has begun to be resonated across the world. The present exhibition at the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines (KCC), hosted by the KCC and supported by the ACC, commemorates the re-opening of the KCC under the new national ownership and the 10th anniversary of its opening. It will remain open to the general public until May 31.

Following the 2021 amendments to the Special Act on the Development of the Asian Cultural Hub City, the ACC Foundation has focused its attention on the distribution of cultural contents. This new direction involves developing cultural products based on content created and produced by the ACC and the content developed by the previous Asia Culture Institute (ACI), and distributing these contents in both domestic and international spaces.

This is expected to establish the recognition of ACC as a leading cultural organization in Asia. Lee Kanghyun, the newly-appointed director of the ACC, described the goal as "we will create and produce various artworks based on Asian culture and convergence, and by doing so, contributing to the development of the Asian culture".

• Written by: Mi-hye Yoon mi4430@naver.com
  Photography by: ACC
  
  
  
  
  April 2022