Label Land

Label Land installation

2008-08-23T05:23:00.000-07:00

2008-08-23T05:19:00.000-07:00

Label Land as a backdrop to Xii luxury apartment complex model

2008-08-23T04:46:00.000-07:00

The Label Land installation was positioned and constructed to be in direct dialogue to a model of an Xii luxury apartment complex model. The process of negotiation and communication between the project curators and Xii's management was conservative and frustrating, - basically permissions were made and then reversed on numerous accounts, including the positions of the projects of Andre Hemer and Sarawut Chutiwongpeti.
Eventually the Label Land concept prevailed, yet not without persistance on many levels including extended installation hours late into the first few evenings of access to the site. The Label Land installation itself was originally intended on being the part of the project where I would have complete aesthetic control, bringing together the label creatures used in the interventions to create my own solo work. The recycling cart used in the projects process was exhibited on its side, operating as a projection space for the 12 minute video of the groups performance documentation.

Enter Label Land

2008-08-23T04:41:00.000-07:00

It was made clear to the students in our first few meetings that for this project I would rather be referring to each of them as young artists, as opposed to students. Each of these young artists expressed strong interest in being involved in my proposed project, that aimed to explore elements of my waste creature interventions of 2006, as well as 2020?, the large scale installation project of 2008.
Following the initial project proposal, I searched for waste material, which would best serve the purpose of what was to become the Label Land project. It didn’t take long to find a small industry area in Jugyo-dong, close to exit 6 of Euljiro 4 (sa-ga) metro station. An area where any consumer brand you can imagine has their fabric, sticker or plastic labels produced, to mark their products.
These businesses fill waste bags daily with the off-cuts and misprints of production, placed on the public pavement for collection. Finding this material was perfect to create an artwork that would operate beyond the problems of such excessive waste production and into the much larger and ripe issue of excessive westernised globalisation, something very apparent in the consumer habits of the people of Seoul.
Before the second meeting with the young artists I intercepted many samples of this material, so as to explain to them that this was where and what we would be collecting during that stage of the projects process.
That following week was spent taking some of this material in Taxi’s as well as more organised truck pick-ups to the Mizy centre, where a room had been set-up with a vinyl advertising collage backdrop as the projects studio.
The process of interception and studio manipulation was co-ordinated to involve each of the young artists equally, this having been documented throughout as part of the art project itself. Particular types and colours of the streams of fabric label negatives as well as other found waste materials were designated to the young artists keeping in mind what they were initially drawn towards.
All the young artists were aware of the plan to and worked towards returning to the sites of interception in Jugyo-dong for performative interventions in the first week of August. These actions took place in the searing Seoul afternoon heat, which was testament to all the young artists belief in the project.
Each of these afternoon performance days involved half the overall group and were followed by group interventions underneath Baeogaedari Bridge at Cheonggycheon Stream.
A few days later the entire group were involved in a performance in front of City Hall, which caught the attention of a fair number of small children nearby at the water fountain who ran over to interrogate the fabric waste creatures.
The group then travelled to Hongdae for a performance in an open public courtyard, which was choreographed to mimic the surrounding market stalls. In a number of smaller interventions in the nearby streets, passers by stopped, intrigued by the happening’s.
In the final stage of the project, the fabric covering’s of the waste creatures were then incorporated into the Label Land installation, together with other waste material collected from Jugyo-dong. The installation that was created on Level 2 of Xii Gallery (a gallery for model luxury housing), being a miniature landscape of label’s resembling buildings and negative label fabric piles resembling mountains. This installation was positioned opposite a permanent miniature Xii building development model, exemplifying Label Land’s response to aspects of global, westernised and excessive lifestyles.

Team Label Land

2008-08-23T00:20:00.000-07:00

Hongdae street interventions (10/08/08)

2008-08-22T23:32:00.000-07:00

The first of the four street interventions were the black label waste coverings of Sang hyup and Hamin, who were directed to perform an action out the front of the Hongdae Adidas store, with Sang hyup entering the store half way through the action.

2008-08-22T23:00:00.000-07:00

The second street intervention was with Yeonjae, Kyung Joo and Hyeleen, set-up in a triangular formation only metres apart from one another. This particular performance created strong reactions of surprise and interest from the consumers walking by, some even touching the label creatures.

2008-08-22T22:55:00.000-07:00

The third street intervention was with the two grey coloured coverings of Joohang and Ara. They were placed a few metres apart from one another on a concrete podium entrance to a soap shop situated on a main pedestrian intersection. This performance attracted a large crowd with some people intrigued enough to touch the label creatures.

2008-08-22T21:43:00.000-07:00

The fourth and final street intervention took place in an area on the public pavement outside of a restaurant, with Sanghee, Hyesong and Jiieun. Time was precious in regards to lack of daylight and the waiting truck driver so when the angry restaurant manager protested, her desire for it not to happen was ignored and the performance went ahead, all be it only for a few minutes.

final group intervention at Hongdae playground (10/08/08)

2008-08-22T21:34:00.000-07:00

When arriving at the Hongdae playground it became clear that there was a perfect place to set-up in the centre of the courtyard, within a small group of market stalls. The covering’s were placed brought together with Sang hyup seated next to the group as though he was the owner/minder of the label waste creature stall.

2008-08-22T21:31:00.000-07:00

2008-08-22T18:44:00.000-07:00

The City Hall intervention consisted of a spacial arrangement of the entire group of label waste creatures set-up in the centre of the circular grass area. Following the start of the action Sang hyup, in his black foam covering walked into the performance area approaching the creatures and a few minutes into the action I enter the action also in my black label covering and move from the right side of the camera frame through the group and then out of the left side of the frame. During this intervention Sang hyup moves through and around all the creatures, while a large group of children run into the performance area. The children play and interrogate the fabric creatures for a number of minutes, before the performance is then deemed finished.

intervention at Cheonggyecheon stream - part two (07/08/08)

2008-08-22T07:17:00.000-07:00

The previous days intervention at Cheonggyecheon stream (Cheonggyecheon 5 (o)-ga), took the stream rangers offguard and we were asked to reserve a timeslot so as the rangers knew when we were conducting the action. This days group needed to work fast in Jugyo-dong to beat the clock, setting up for a slightly shorter group intervention again underneath the Baeogaedari Bridge.

return to Jugyo-dong - part two (07/08/08)

2008-08-22T06:59:00.000-07:00

The cart journey from the previous day signalled the return of the excess label waste and its transformation into waste creatures. This day of performances began with my own, using the covering I constructed in the previous days. This was primarily to raise confidence in a 32 degree heat and to set a precedence for each of the young artists performing during that afternoon.
In order of their performances (which were conducted in various places of where the waste was originally found), Hamin, Ara, Hyeleen and Hyesong each performed actions of 4 minutes duration, followed by the transformation of Sang hyup (see below).

2008-08-22T05:56:00.000-07:00

A large bag of small grey foam squares which had adhesive ends was taken back to the business it was originally intercepted from and each of the days previous performing artists worked quickly to cover Sang hyup head to toe in the material. This was an action placing as much emphasis on this process as with Sang hyup’s walk to Cheonggyecheon Stream.

intervention at Cheonggyecheon stream - part one (06/08/08)

2008-08-22T05:25:00.000-07:00

The group then converged on Cheonggyecheon Stream (Cheonggyecheon 5 (o)-ga), conducting a ten minute intervention underneath the Baeogaedari Bridge.

Return to Jugyo-dong - part one (06/07/08)

2008-08-22T04:53:00.000-07:00

Sang hyup wore his foam waste armour covering and wheeled the cart through the Jugyo-dong business area.
He started with Yeonjae’ s creature, and then dropped her off at a corner where Jiieun’s creature waited to be put into the cart. Sang hyup then wheeled Jiieun’s creature through the paper arcade and dropped her off in the Bangsan Market car-park where Joohang’s creature waited to be picked up. Joohang’s creature was then wheeled through the car-park and then back into the small laneways of Jugyo-dong, where Sanghee’s creature waited to be picked up. Sang hyup then paraded Sanghee’s creature into and up and down the main street of Jugyo-dong. Sang hyup he turned right into a small laneway to find Kyung Joo waiting to be picked up, wheeling her through a small laneway labyrinth and then back out onto the main street finishing the exhausting journey in a restaurant car-park nearby.

studio process (27/07 - 06/08)

2008-08-22T01:09:00.000-07:00

Using the remaining black label waste to create the final waste creature covering. 06/08/08

2008-08-22T00:48:00.000-07:00

Jiieun applying sticker labels and finishing touches to her foam based covering. 04/08/08

2008-08-22T00:44:00.000-07:00

Sang hyup tailoring his black foam full body covering. 03/08/08

2008-08-22T00:43:00.000-07:00

Hamin using both her hands and feet to weave the label waste into her covering. 31/07/08

2008-08-22T00:40:00.000-07:00

Ara unravelling rolls of unused labels, which were then tangled to create her covering. 31/07/08

2008-08-22T00:38:00.000-07:00

Yeonjae experimenting with getting inside her label covering, with assistance from Hyeleen and Hyesong. 29/07/08

2008-08-22T00:35:00.000-07:00

Hyesong creating her covering, with assistance from Hyeleen and Yeonjae. 29/07/08

2008-08-21T23:46:00.000-07:00

Directing Sanghee to create her foam/fabric covering, with assistance from Hyesong. 27/07/08

2008-08-21T22:52:00.000-07:00

The entire group of young artists were led into the prepared studio to view all the materials for the first time. Over the course of this first studio session, they were all briefed and educated about the process to create a fabric covering in which they would be able to emerse themselves within for performative interventions. 27/07/08

waste audit process (26/07/08)

2008-08-21T22:39:00.000-07:00

The collected bags of label manufacturing waste were audited once delivered to the studio. This process involved removing the general waste which was mixed in with the material, before the young artists were exposed to what had been collected. 26/07/08

fabric label waste interception 24,25,26/07/08

2008-08-21T22:24:00.000-07:00

There were several visits to Jugyo-dong to collect the fabric label waste. All the young artists were involved in this process of using a Korean style recycling cart to obtain the material, which was then delivered to the Mizy centre's makeshift project studio.

label waste discovery (27/07/08)

2008-08-21T22:17:00.000-07:00

discovery of designer label manufacturing waste in a small industry area in Jugyo-dong (close to exit 6 of Euljiro 4 metro station). 23/07/08

2008-08-21T21:41:00.000-07:00

Label Land was produced for Project Standingby 0004. A project co-ordinated by Gallery Loop Alternative Artspace and Mizy - Seoul Youth Centre for Cultural Exchange. Between July 21 and August 21 2008, one local and four international artists were selected to each work with 10 young Korean art students to produce a project over that time; the artists Andre Hemer (New Zealand), Luis Cantillo (Colombia), Sarawat Chutiwongpeti (Thailand), Ash Keating (Australia) and Yang Achi (Korea).
The project was finalised with an exhibition in the unusual setting of Xii Gallery (a gallery for model housing) in Haepjong, the main showroom of large corporation Xii which builds luxury apartment complexes.

Label Land

Artistic Director/Producer
Keating, Ash

Project Assistant/Language Interpreter
Hwang, Sung-hye (Jinny) Hwang

Young Artists - collaborators and performers
Lee, Sang hyup
Jung Yeonjae
Roh, Jiieun
Ko, Kyungjoo
Yang, Sanghee
Chun, Joohang
Won, Hyesong
Kimg, Ara
Lee, Hyeleen
Joo, Hamin