KOREA FOUNDATION

As soon as visitors enter the exhibition hall for Light of ASEAN, One Community and Harmony, they are rewarded with a cascade of “ASEAN lights,” which are comprised of sky lanterns and incandescent lights. The intensity of the scarlet sky lanterns successively alternates between dimming and brightening-all while rotating slowly. More than 270 incandescent lights in a wooden frame also move rhythmically and beautifully in accordance with the sounds of nature, such as a flowing river and the chirping of crickets. The exhibition was featured at the ASEAN Culture House ( ACH ) with several new exhibit items after having first been introduced at the Asia Culture Center in Gwangju last year.

   SILO Lab, the media art group that produced artworks of the exhibition, aimed to convey the love of peace and harmony of ASEAN cultures through light-related artworks. Light is a long-held symbol of and tool for harmony by the people of ASEAN, as can be seen in the lighting of colorful lanterns throughout the country in Cambodia, including in the Buddhist temples in Phnom Penh during the New Year’s holiday, and by the youth of Taiping in Malaysia who write wishes on floating sky lanterns at the riverside during the Mid-Autumnal festival. SILO Lab explained that it is essential for the motifs of water and community, along with light, to feature in such traditional ceremonies in ASEAN countries and that this is why light, water, and community are the core themes of this exhibition.

   While the 2019 exhibition, which was held at a 480 pyeong ( approx. 1,600m² ) exhibition hall, radiated a correspondingly majestic mood, this year’s exhibition at ACH touches a bit more subtly on visitors’ emotions. All of the floating lanterns in Breeze Fire are made of hanji ( traditional Korean paper made from mulberry bark ). Gently-flowing vertical lines on the surface and the lanterns’ delicate movements produce a subtle and exquisite ambiance. Lights also flicker sublimely in Mysterious Fire, a work for which the title is inspired by Emperor Gojong having supposedly said, “It is a peculiar, Mysterious light!” while admiring the brightness of incandescent light bulbs ( which were being introduced in Korea for the first time ) at night. Mysterious Fire creates a feeling of warmth that is characteristic of incandescent lights rather than today’s much more prevalent LED lighting.

   Light of ASEAN, One Community and Harmony offers an opportunity to experience a world of stories simply by standing among the exhibits. Amidst the lights of ASEAN that mingle peacefully regardless of the vastly different stories and hopes held by each, visitors will be able to perceive their equally important messages of unity and concordance.