Cuckoo, Puckuck ( 2023 ) at 4 Culture
Ceramic, Wood, Arduino nano, Dfplayer, MicroSD, Servo motor, Wire
The cuckoo bird stands as a symbol of resilience in the face of pandemic ambiguity.
Throughout history, creative minds have explored themes of plague and contagion. Noteworthy examples such as Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death” and Mary Shelley’s “The Last Man” draw from the authors’ personal encounters with illness, weaving detailed reflections with prophetic insights. These visionary stories, and others like them, have indelibly shaped our collective psyche. How might we craft missives for our future selves amidst the uncertainty of contemporary infectious threats?
Eunsun Choi’s cacophonous installation of cuckoo “clocks” amplifies feelings of discomfort and anxiety. The timepieces, once symbols of status in South Korean households after the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, carry echoes of her upbringing—tinged with nostalgia and complexity. Ceramic birds unpredictably burst forth from their makeshift homes, each emitting a distinct Korean onomatopoeia “puckuck!” call, mirroring and magnifying today’s prevailing sense of unease.
Despite the bird’s exceptional adaptability, the Western interpretation of “cuckoo” is synonymous with eccentricity or ailment. Cuckoo, Puckuck conveys this dual narrative: the shifts in human behavior in response to global upheaval, alongside the simultaneous celebration of our resilience and determination.
This exhibition has been generously supported by a 4Culture Arts Project Grant.
Ceramic, Wood, Arduino nano, Dfplayer, MicroSD, Servo motor, Wire
The cuckoo bird stands as a symbol of resilience in the face of pandemic ambiguity.
Throughout history, creative minds have explored themes of plague and contagion. Noteworthy examples such as Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death” and Mary Shelley’s “The Last Man” draw from the authors’ personal encounters with illness, weaving detailed reflections with prophetic insights. These visionary stories, and others like them, have indelibly shaped our collective psyche. How might we craft missives for our future selves amidst the uncertainty of contemporary infectious threats?
Eunsun Choi’s cacophonous installation of cuckoo “clocks” amplifies feelings of discomfort and anxiety. The timepieces, once symbols of status in South Korean households after the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, carry echoes of her upbringing—tinged with nostalgia and complexity. Ceramic birds unpredictably burst forth from their makeshift homes, each emitting a distinct Korean onomatopoeia “puckuck!” call, mirroring and magnifying today’s prevailing sense of unease.
Despite the bird’s exceptional adaptability, the Western interpretation of “cuckoo” is synonymous with eccentricity or ailment. Cuckoo, Puckuck conveys this dual narrative: the shifts in human behavior in response to global upheaval, alongside the simultaneous celebration of our resilience and determination.
This exhibition has been generously supported by a 4Culture Arts Project Grant.
photo credit by credit Joe Freeman (www.joefreemanjunior.com)
photo credit by credit Joe Freeman (www.joefreemanjunior.com)
photo credit by credit Joe Freeman (www.joefreemanjunior.com)
photo credit by credit Joe Freeman (www.joefreemanjunior.com)
photo credit by credit Joe Freeman (www.joefreemanjunior.com)
photo credit by credit Joe Freeman (www.joefreemanjunior.com)
photo credit by credit Joe Freeman (www.joefreemanjunior.com)
Sculpture space in Utica / DXARTS gallery
