Audible Garden
Korean artist Jinjoon Lee refers to himself as a ‘spatial gardener’ but his Audible Garden, where the only thing that’s green is the light that tints the entire experience, often feels more ‘mad scientist’ than horticulturalist. Lee is neither, though he does have five degrees including a Doctorate of Philosophy from Oxford. It’s titled ‘Empty Garden: A Liminoid Journey to Nowhere in Somewhere’ which he presented as a 10-meter-long scroll combining East Asian Garden aesthetics, existentialism, poetry, and autoethnographic research. You don’t need to know what any of that means, but it’s an insightful anecdote to help you understand the mind behind this exhibit.
It’s also helpful to know that traditional Korean gardens are the opposite of invasive, seeking to change the landscape not through removal or structural change, but by what is added and enhanced. This compassionate reuse of space is a key driver of Lee’s work, and here he fills the gallery with shapes, sounds and imagery. Much of it is sourced and interpreted live, via AI, both from within and external to the building.
The opening of the show has a Calder-like mobile hung with directional speaker discs. Go on, give it a blow. As the speakers redirect, sounds bounce off various walls loud enough for you to hear kids laughing, sirens and water… but only if you’re standing in the right location. Later in the show a ‘Mumbling Window’ presents a muted acoustic reflection of the live, outside street noise.
In the main room, records silently rotate on a spot-lit turntable while large screens display what appear to be random patterns. It’s actually a manifestation of the artist’s daily diary, which he translated into the visuals on the discs, which are scanned and projected into the room. In other areas you’ll find carpeted maps that can only be navigated with a UV flashlight (pick one up at reception) and some older videos that include cows oblivious to the apocalypse and office workers walking backwards. Oh, and there are gold leafed plaster casts of crumpled milk cartons everywhere! As I said, it’s all a bit mad scientist, but it works.
Like the sculptural towers modelled on scans of the artist’s emotions, everything is this show is highly scientific, esoteric and abstract but I found the environment to be soothing and calming. The visuals are soft, and various sounds blend into innocuous white noise, only occasionally interrupted by birdsong. On a sunny day the front hall dances in the light of mysterious shadows. There’s plenty of informative wall text, but you can choose to enjoy everything without any understanding of what’s actually happening. It’s a lot like sitting in a well manicured garden. You might not know the name of that pretty flower you’ve been aimlessly staring at, but do you really need to?
Plan your visit
‘Audible Garden’ runs until 13 October
Visit kccuk.org.uk and follow @kccuk and @kccuk_exhibition on Instagram for more info about the venue.
Visit leejinjoon.com and follow @jinjoonlee_official on Instagram for more info about the artist.
🖼️ Want more art? Visit the What’s On page to see a list of recommended shows, sorted by closing date. Don’t miss ‘em!