Geum (2024)
Created in collaboration with Haneul Seo, Keyi Ding
Materials
Clay, gold leaf, copper wire, conductive paint, Daisy microcontroller, capacitive sensor, ToF sensor, plywood, neopixels, speaker
Dimensions
16 x 16 x 40 inches
Skills
Ceramics, code-generated notes, Kintsugi techniques
Description
“Geum (금)” is an interactive sound and light sculpture exploring the embodied duality of the Korean word geum (금), which means both the precious metal “gold” and “crack” or “fracture” on a surface. Drawing from kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, each crack on the ceramic bowl is mended with touch-sensitive gold fillings. When participants gently trace their hands over these gilded fractures, they activate ambient light and sound responses that shift based on the location and duration of the touch.
Center: Geum (2024), detail shot
Right: Geum (2024), full shot
This interaction becomes a collective meditation on healing, where what was once broken is reactivated as a conduit of sensation. As audience bath in a symphony of light and sound through touch, the two definitions of the word “geum” come full circle: tracing “fractures” of “gold,” embodying a unique, evolving journey of resilience.