Hwanggeumsan Owl

I see the Seongam Village mud flat and the sea when I open the window every morning. When walking through the inland and village road where there used to be a salt pond, I feel my complicated mind becomes clear, refreshed.
The mud flat in Daebudo Island (Daebudo), with its beautiful scenery and rich marine life, such as octopuses and clams, is a well-known tourist attraction.
In the mid-90’s, however, Daebudo became connected to the mainland, which resulted in changing a water route. As fishery sources greatly diminished, the fishermen living off the sea dried out as well. In addition, due to the construction of an embankment, Hwanggeum­san Mountain, the highest mountain in Daebudo, was harmed as well. Upon its connection with the mainland, a great number of people flowed into the island, and the native people’s way of living also changed. The villages, where people had been living for generations, underwent a dreadful time fighting over a reimbursement issue. While doing so, the communities gradual­ly weakened. It must have been like the mind of a fisherman who lost his way in a storm on the night sea.
I remember that one day my teacher and I were walking by the reeds and talked about installing an impressive art work on the rooftop of the Gyeonggi Creation Center where artists live when we have some time. After a few years passed, we embarked on The Hwanggeum­san Project. I proposed to create the work The Hwanggeumsan Mountain Owl in pursuit of healing the tragic history and revitalizing the local communities.
It has been said that once upon a time, a pair of owls lived in a village. People believed the big eyes of the owls represented sages that guarded the village at night and opened the way. Although the people’s way of living changed and the village lost its function due to the conver­gence between the island and the mainland, we still continue our communal life with the sea. Was there not an owl that was living in Daebudo, the beautiful island of art? Was there not also a large lighthouse standing somewhere on that art island? LED lights are installed in the owl’s eyes. I hope that the first blink of the eyes signals the healing of the history of the art island, and the second blink represents the light of art that delivers us a new hope.
I hope that The Hwanggeumsan Mountain Owl, like a lighthouse in a sea at night, guides people through the way and overcomes the wind, becoming a symbol that represents the light of hope, across the mud flat and through­out the island.