BIO
U-Ram Choe is a Korean artist based in Seoul, who creates highly ornate kinetic sculptures that mimic forms and motions found in nature, or inspired by the grandeur of the physical realm, from celestial bodies to earthly organisms. Choe uses various metals, motors, gears, and custom CPU boards to control the precise motions of each sculpture that are at times perfectly synchronized and other times completely random.
CHOE U-RAM [KR]
Custos Cavum, 2011
HYUNDAI X ELEKTRA
METAMORPHOSIS
Hyundai Motorstudio Seoul [KR]
6.11 - 9.20, 2020
Kinetic sculpture (metallic material, resin, motor, gear, custom CPU board, LED)
Once upon a time, there were two worlds. They were connected to each other through a number of small holes, as if the worlds were breathing through these holes. However, the holes had a tendency to close up, so there were guardians next to each one to keep them open. The guardians were called Custos Cavum. They took the form of seals and had large front teeth, which they used to gnaw the holes to pre-vent them from closing up.
Whenever the Custos Cavum felt the generation of a new hole some-where, it fell into a deep sleep. From the body of the quietly sleeping Custos Cavum grew winged spores called Unicus . These spores took flight and each flew to a new hole, where it gave rise to a new Custos Cavum .
As time went on, the people of each world gradually forgot about the other. The guardians lost their power and died, one after another. When the last Custos Cavum died, the last hole closed, separating the two worlds completely. The existence of the other world was entirely erased from people’s memories.
Last night, I saw Unicuses start to grow from the last bone of a Custos Cavum in my small garden. According to an old story, Unicuses will grow whenever the holes to the other world are open again.