Myungmin Liu

The things presented here are a few possible responses to the question of what could be created or expressed as I transitioned from the original place(over there) to here.

<Labyrinth Performance>

On one side of the space, there is a square-shaped plate composed of tiles, with a specific path drawn on its surface. When observed from a distance, the path's image is distinct and recognizable, but as one approaches the plate, the path dissolves into scattered dots.

The path drawn on the plate is called a labyrinth. This labyrinth features a single route that leads to both its entrance and exit, guiding individuals towards one center and then back again. The clear navigation of the path enables people walking on it to engage in contemplation through repetitive walking, freeing them from the need to explore the route or seek an exit. Even to this day, this symbolic image adorns the floors of public spaces such as churches, cathedrals, libraries, and hospitals, fostering the spirit of the era.

Within this confined space with a single repeated path, the therapy for modern individuals begins.

To reduce anxiety or stress associated with the outside world, it often requires a space that is comfortable yet secluded, tranquil yet isolated. Such a space creates a separation to the intricate interplay of human emotions within the external environment, inducing these emotions to be directed into an individual's body and desires. In the context of managing individual health in a neoliberal society, personal well-being has become a significant concern, yet it is often addressed through personalized approaches and care.

Therefore, this performance was designed in a way so that the act of walking along the path becomes a task that cannot be accomplished alone. It involves one person walking on the path without the ability to see, and another person to see the path but must step beyond it. 

<city, maze, footages>

Taking the next footsteps from the white cube to the outside, I attached an action camera to my ankle while exploring different places around the city. These steps are metaphorically likened to walking in a maze.

The modern depiction of a maze differs from the structure of a labyrinth. A labyrinth offers a single predetermined path with one entrance and exit, while a maze provides multiple branching paths and intersections, some of which may lead to dead ends, creating the possibility of isolation and confinement. While a labyrinth poses no navigational challenges, a maze is a game-like structure where one tries to find the way out through multiple attempts.

Each footage is filled with shaking movements, as if the sense of placeness is on the verge of disappearing. At times, there is a fluidity that obscures clarity, yet there is always something discernible. Transforming space into a pathway and objects into a process. The fluctuating footage has been named by combining several words discovered within each flow.

So as to say, <The bare fact of movement ... is rarely just about getting from A to B>.