Soobeen Woo                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Projects                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Info                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Contact


EN  KR



Artist Note



Afropolik






Afropolik is a kinetic installation that imagines a future where breathing is no longer a given, and explores how human existence can manifest in a world where air is controlled. Rather than simply warning against environmental pollution, the work poses a deeper question about the right to shared breathing space—a condition essential to life. When the act of breathing becomes subject to control rather than instinct or choice, how can human existence be affirmed?
The installation is centered around a motorized structure that operates based on real-time air pollution data. A silicone mat, shaped like a human face, is pressed upon with varying intensities depending on pollution levels. The more polluted the air, the stronger the pressure becomes, leaving deeper imprints; the cleaner the air, the fainter or even absent the marks. These physical traces serve as a record of the invisible quality of air, visualizing how environmental conditions impact the human body.
Sound plays an equally important role in Afropolik. The work incorporates sampled recordings of the artist’s own breathing, which respond to environmental data in real time. Using Pure Data and Processing, the system changes the texture and rhythm of the sound based on both pollution levels and directional movement. The result is a mechanical yet organic interaction, giving the impression that the breath is alive within the sculptural form.
The idea behind Afropolik emerged from an intense imagining of a future where breathable air is no longer accessible. It questions how existence can be validated in a world where the most essential element for survival—air—becomes invisible, scarce, or regulated. Rather than visualizing air itself, the project focuses on how the intangible leaves behind traces that can be physically and sensorially perceived. 
Through this intersection of sensory imagination, technical experimentation, and political inquiry, Afropolik continues to evolve. Ultimately, it becomes a device for revealing the unseen, recalling what has been forgotten, and reconsidering the most fundamental condition we share: the right to breathe.








Resonair






Resonair is an installation work that visualizes invisible breath and explores how it leaves traces in space before evaporating. Rather than addressing air or environmental issues directly, the piece focuses on how breath—a fundamental act of existence—can leave physical and sensory imprints, only to disappear just as quickly.
The work began with a simple question: “What if breath could be seen, like condensation in winter?” This question soon led to a deeper inquiry into the sensory moment of disappearance. Breath constantly moves in and out of the body, yet it often escapes perception. Resonair attempts to materialize that imperceptible trace—through vapor, light, repetition, and gradual vanishing.
The installation is composed around a single mask placed on a box in the center of the floor. Surrounding it are nine additional masks arranged in a circle, each connected by fiber optic cables. From the mouth of each mask, steam is released in intervals. As time passes, the space slowly fills with vapor, blurring visibility and drawing attention to the density of the shared air. The mask, typically associated with protection, becomes a vessel that releases and records the residue of existence.
Without relying on sound visualization or sensor-based interaction, the work uses physical change and atmospheric buildup to generate sensory impact. Air, as an invisible material, becomes a sculptural medium through light, steam, connection, and evaporation. What the viewer experiences is not only visual but something more layered—a residue of breath shared among others, slowly absorbed into the room.
Resonair asks: When does presence become perceptible? And can disappearance be the most powerful form of reality? In revisiting the act of breathing, the work ultimately reminds us that to breathe is perhaps the most fundamental and final evidence of being here.
@2025 Soobeen Woo
Instagram