Coded and Interactive Art

Here, I explore a combination of cultural heritage, cultural discourse, and re-imagine my ancestry and cultural histories through coded interactions.

Proximity

Year: 2023

Medium: Java, Processing, Clip Studio Paint, Ben Q 1080ST projector, Arduino Uno, LV-MaxSonar-EZ high performance sonar range finder

This interactive animation uses a distance sensor to detect how far away a person is from the piece. Based on a person’s distance, the animation being projected
changes. As a person approaches the woman, she starts to grow more visibly uncomfortable, and more and more phrases encapsulating Asian fetishization
appear on the screen.

When a person steps close enough, she eventually turns into a doll and an object, dehumanized by those exoticizing her. When a person is far away, faint K-pop music plays in the background, but as a person
approaches, it slowly turns into louder traditional Korean music. The goal of this interactive animation is ultimately to make viewers uncomfortable, and to showcase the effects of Asian fetishization that occurs largely through social media.

Transparent Perception

Year: 2023

Medium: Java, Processing, and Clip Studio Paint, Audio

This animation showcases the effects of Asian fetishization on Asian women, and how it dehumanizes and objectifies them. I hoped to make viewers slightly uncomfortable with this experience, and understand how it feels to be perceived as an Asian woman in modern day society. The eyes with cameras as pupils bounce around the animation, showing perception by others due to technologies and digital media today.
Traditional Korean music plays in the background of the animation, and Korean words saying “Who am I?” and “What should I do?” transport across the screen in
the background, representing the internal conflict Asian women encounter due to being fetishized.

Coded Dancheong

This brush system creates a blank canvas with an allotted space with restrictions to imitate a Dancheong pattern, and allows users to use a brush inspired by traditional Dancheong imagery to create their own patterns and illustration. Left clicking the mouse allows the user to access the colorful brush of vivid Dancheong imagery, and not clicking then mouse allows the user to access a “negative space” brush, which creates white floral images that acts as an eraser for the canvas. I would love continue exploring how cultural motifs and artistic histories can be recreated through algorithms and technologies.

Year: 2023

Medium: Java, Processing and Clip Studio Paint

Kimchi Jar: An Interactive Poem

Year: 2023

Medium: Arduino Uno, Laser-cut Acrylic, Clip Studio Paint, Potentiometer, LCD display

This interactive poem can be scrolled through utilizing its potentiometer. Making kimchi was a monthly ritual my entire family engaged in, under the guidance of my mother. This piece represents my childhood disillusionment and shame I felt in aspects of my Korean culture, such as in the way that kimchi smells. This poem is a reflection of my journey in coming to embrace my culture and heritage through the motif of kimchi-making.

To My Mother's Heart

Year: 2023

Medium: Arduino Uno, LV-MaxSonar-EZ high performance sonar range finder, LCD display, OLED display

This piece is an ode to my mother, who immigrated to the United States from Korea. This piece utilizes a distance sensor, where the further away a person is, the more my mother's heart breaks. In addition, the further away you are, the LCD display shows phrases of me rejecting my Korean heritage as a child. The closer you get, my mother's heart heals, and I become more understanding, receptive, and appreciative of her and my culture.