The Warmth That Binds Us – Concept Paper
Hojin Kang
Installation Setup Draft, using Dall-E, 2024
Visual Sketch, Seek Thermal Compact Pro + iphone 12 Pro, 2024
What is the concept?
What do we see when we remember?
During the fellowship period, I will create a large-scale media installation in which the concept of "warmth" becomes both visually and physically tangible, centering the physical experience of the visitors.
For this, I will capture videos using special thermal imaging cameras. These cameras emphasize the heat signatures emitted by our bodies, regardless of gender, skin color, or physical traits. In doing so, they reveal an intimate, invisible layer of our deepest connections that traditional photography cannot capture.
In a time of political division and cultural fragmentation, the project aims to highlight the fundamental warmth of our human bodies, which has the potential to reunite us as human beings.
These thermal videos will be projected into the space and combined with translucent materials to transform the clear contours into abstract, blurred colors. Simultaneously, infrared heat emitters will be used to physically warm the space.
These blurred images will become universal, collective memories, representing a search for reflection and transgenerational healing, for warmth and connection.
So, what do we see when we remember? I close my eyes and see images that warm me.
Concept Sketch, comparing the different aesthetics of the techniques, 2024
Thermal Imaging Tests (left), Opaque Materials (right)
Technical Setup Sketch, 2024
How will the project be technically realized?
The core of the project is a thermal film, shot with various smartphone-compatible thermal cameras and edited in post-production on a computer. This film will be projected onto an opaque material. At the same time, special infrared heat emitters will be used to heat specific bodies and objects, rather than warming the entire space.
During the fellowship, I will continue to collaborate closely with developers, craftsmen, and infrared heat emitter specialists to create a flawless technical setup.
Thermal Imaging Tests (left), Prototyping with Laptop Display and opaque materials (right)
Why should the project be realized?
In my artistic practice, I integrate interactive technologies with traditional rituals and artifacts, drawing upon Confucian culture and Buddhist philosophies inherent in my Korean heritage.
In a time of political division, cultural fragmentation, and technological acceleration, this project critically engages with the human condition in the context of a (post-)digital era. It represents a search for transcultural reflection and transgenerational healing, for warmth and connection.
The project emphasizes the fundamental warmth of our human bodies, which unites us as humans, rather than dividing us.
--
Hojin Kang (*1986, lives and works in Berlin) is a german-korean conceptual artist and designer. In his practice he deals with our presence in a (post-)digital era, where technological acceleration is juxtaposed with our physicality and mental state.
His artworks integrate interactive technologies with traditional rituals and artifacts, drawing upon the Confucian culture and Buddhist philosophies inherent in his Korean heritage.
With 3D-printed prayer beads, AR sculptures and breath-controlled light installations, he brings the physical experience of the viewer to the fore, enabling them to become an integral part of the work.
Thus in a time of political division and cultural fragmentation, Hojin Kang's works deeply explore the transgenerational and immaterial qualities that universally interconnect us as human beings.
His work has been exhibited at Stockwerk Projekt Weimar (2024), Kassel Dokfest Lounge (2023), Stadtgalerie Saarbrücken (2022) and Kunstverein Ulm (2018), among others. He collaborates closely with curators, designers, artists, programmers and craftsmen in his projects.
The Warmth That Binds Us – Concept Paper
Hojin Kang
Installation Setup Draft, using Dall-E, 2024
Visual Sketch, Seek Thermal Compact Pro + iphone 12 Pro, 2024
What is the concept?
What do we see when we remember?
During the fellowship period, I will create a large-scale media installation in which the concept of "warmth" becomes both visually and physically tangible, centering the physical experience of the visitors.
For this, I will capture videos using special thermal imaging cameras. These cameras emphasize the heat signatures emitted by our bodies, regardless of gender, skin color, or physical traits. In doing so, they reveal an intimate, invisible layer of our deepest connections that traditional photography cannot capture.
In a time of political division and cultural fragmentation, the project aims to highlight the fundamental warmth of our human bodies, which has the potential to reunite us as human beings.
These thermal videos will be projected into the space and combined with translucent materials to transform the clear contours into abstract, blurred colors. Simultaneously, infrared heat emitters will be used to physically warm the space.
These blurred images will become universal, collective memories, representing a search for reflection and transgenerational healing, for warmth and connection.
So, what do we see when we remember? I close my eyes and see images that warm me.
Concept Sketch, comparing the different aesthetics of the techniques, 2024
Thermal Imaging Tests (left), Opaque Materials (right)
Technical Setup Sketch, 2024
How will the project be technically realized?
The core of the project is a thermal film, shot with various smartphone-compatible thermal cameras and edited in post-production on a computer. This film will be projected onto an opaque material. At the same time, special infrared heat emitters will be used to heat specific bodies and objects, rather than warming the entire space.
During the fellowship, I will continue to collaborate closely with developers, craftsmen, and infrared heat emitter specialists to create a flawless technical setup.
Thermal Imaging Tests (left), Prototyping with Laptop Display and opaque materials (right)
Why should the project be realized?
In my artistic practice, I integrate interactive technologies with traditional rituals and artifacts, drawing upon Confucian culture and Buddhist philosophies inherent in my Korean heritage.
In a time of political division, cultural fragmentation, and technological acceleration, this project critically engages with the human condition in the context of a (post-)digital era. It represents a search for transcultural reflection and transgenerational healing, for warmth and connection.
The project emphasizes the fundamental warmth of our human bodies, which unites us as humans, rather than dividing us.
--
Hojin Kang (*1986, lives and works in Berlin) is a german-korean conceptual artist and designer. In his practice he deals with our presence in a (post-)digital era, where technological acceleration is juxtaposed with our physicality and mental state.
His artworks integrate interactive technologies with traditional rituals and artifacts, drawing upon the Confucian culture and Buddhist philosophies inherent in his Korean heritage.
With 3D-printed prayer beads, AR sculptures and breath-controlled light installations, he brings the physical experience of the viewer to the fore, enabling them to become an integral part of the work.
Thus in a time of political division and cultural fragmentation, Hojin Kang's works deeply explore the transgenerational and immaterial qualities that universally interconnect us as human beings.
His work has been exhibited at Stockwerk Projekt Weimar (2024), Kassel Dokfest Lounge (2023), Stadtgalerie Saarbrücken (2022) and Kunstverein Ulm (2018), among others. He collaborates closely with curators, designers, artists, programmers and craftsmen in his projects.