Number of Cases by Sang Eun Park

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Number of Cases

박상은
큐레이터, 호기심/유머감각

Sang Eun Park
Curator, Hoqicm/HumorGarmgat

회화와사진은모두신체가도구를경유해표면에흔적을남긴다. 붓은손의연장으로작동하며, 붓끝의움직임이신체의리듬, 호흡, 필압에직접적으로반응한다. 사진에서의행위또한기계와협응하며드러나는행위들의합으로이루어지나, 도구의질서안으로신체가편입되는형태에가깝다. 초점을맞추기위해렌즈링을미세하게돌리는손목, 노출을조정하는휠을부드럽게굴리는엄지의압력, 히스토그램의드리프트를따라커서를옮기는손가락의지연된움직임등의동작이기계적절차에봉속된의식처럼수행된다. 신체와기계는서로의조작범위를넘나들며미세한진동을교환한다. 그진동이여과된형태로기계적절차를통과하며이미지로이행된다. 그과정은표면을밀어붙이지않으며, 사소한마찰의흔적조차남기지않는다. 그렇게인화된사진의표면에는붓질처럼눌린자국이아니라, 압력을잃은행위의여파가잉크의미세한입자들의형태로변환되어분사된다. 인화지에완전히흡착하지않고표면에얇은막을드리우며살짝떠있는이미지는어딘가유령적이다. 현실을복제하지않으면서도현실의기억을품고, 절차상의작은편차들을하나의표면으로결집시키지만어디에도완전히안착하지못하는주저함이있다.

〈Entropy〉시리즈에등장하는피사체들—겹겹이적재된건축자재, 과일의단면, 막숨을불어넣어습기가응결한비닐장갑, 공사현장을가리는가림막, 열화된스크린—이모든것은일상의퇴적과물질의중량을간직한대상들이다. 그러나사진으로옮겨진이대상들은극도로얇다. 세계의층위는잉크의미세한입자막으로환원되고, 대상이있던자리에는중량감에대한기억과함몰되지않은평평한깊이만이남는다. 그의사진에서사라지는두께는물질의두께만을의미하지않는다. 사물의의미가가진층위, 언어가대상을붙잡아쌓아올리던깊이, 경험이표면위에눕히던여러겹의감각들역시하나의얄팍한막으로평탄화된다. 이얇은표면은물리적두께의붕괴이면서동시에언어적두께의상실, 의미의층위가더이상세계를조직하지못하는자리다. 질서가붕괴되고남은것은흩어진입자들이이루는임시의평형상태이며, 보는사람은이얇음을오히려두께처럼느끼게된다. 두께를얇음으로, 얇음을두께로착각하게만드는이역전은 ‘이상한평온속의불안감’을자아낸다. 얇음은단순한물리적결손이아니라, 실체가표면으로밀려나며남긴가장바깥의겹이다. 그가장자리의표면은유령의피부처럼어디에도완전히닿지않은채존재와비존재의사이에걸터앉아있으며, 현실의잔여이자이미지의시작점이된다.

서동신작가는인화지의표면을단순한재현의장이아닌, 의미가증발하고남은입자들의필드로다룬다. 사진이표면위에얇게펼쳐놓는두께의기억, 평행상태의입자들이붙잡는이미지들은선별되고절개되고, 병치된다. 〈Equation〉시리즈는엔트로피의잔해위에서질서와무질서의사이를가로지르는새로운평형상태를획득한다. 입자들은더이상단순한표면의노이즈가아니라, 언어이전의구조로재편된감각의수식이된다.

〈Malfuction of Fuctional Fuction〉(이하 MFF) 시리즈에서는기능적세계의언어를직접호출한다. 정확해야하고, 명료해야하고, 목적이분명해야하는상품이미지의문법은표면위의모든요소를효율과설명으로환원시키려한다. 그러나기능이너무충실히재현될때, 기능은기묘하게비틀린다. 설명은과도하게정확해지고, 명료함은지나치게명료해져오히려이미지의내부논리를압도하지못하고균열을만든다. 상품사진의목적론적조형성은, 엔트로피의얇은막과방정식의입자구조를통과한이미지앞에서자신의언어를과잉하여결국스스로무력화된다

A photograph that records an object inevitably points to something. The moment we perceive an image, our cognition is engaged in interpreting its referential meaning—a process that is fundamentally linguistic in nature. For photographs that are simple and unambiguous, such as those employed in advertising, this interpretive process is relatively straightforward. However, within the complexity of the real world, the relationship between an image’s referentiality and its linguistic significance frequently diverges. For instance, a photograph depicting a figure walking along a beach at sunset may resist categorization: without accompanying explanation, it can be difficult to discern whether the person is a vacationer or a refugee. Photography, in this sense, is not only dependent upon its subject but equally reliant on language. Some artists are acutely aware of this characteristic. In order to resist immediate interpretation, they employ various strategies that deliberately frustrate clarity. They may capture scenes that remain persistently ambiguous, or document moments that, upon closer inspection, prove entirely unexpected. Yet if a photograph were to advance further still—eliminating the possibility of interpretation altogether—would it, in any meaningful sense, remain a photograph?

Dongsin Seo’s Equation is a series in which the artist arranges his snapshots in arbitrary configurations. The images, whether overlapping or placed adjacently, maintain no inherent connection. By randomly selecting photographs from multiple folders and combining them without reference to compositional coherence, informational content, or design considerations, Seo embraces contingency as a method. In this work, which denies and deconstructs both the referential and the representational functions of photography, only the collision and interplay of disparate images persist. At the moment when visual perception relinquishes the effort to impose meaning, the photographs abandon their conventional destiny to remain representational and instead transform into fields of abstraction. They become, in effect, images devoid of significance. What was once an inseparable pairing—knowing and seeing—dissolves, leaving behind a practice oriented solely toward the act of looking. For the artist, this constitutes an exploration of photography’s expanded possibilities in the digital age. His digital abstractions, composed of fragmented depictions of objects and planes of color, are rendered all the more compelling by their very opacity, compelling the viewer into prolonged contemplation.