THE SOUND OF GENTLY BRUSHING BY

The Sound of Gently Brushing by is
the description of the word “whisper”
in the Korean dictionary. Markets open
where the crowd is and close when and
where people leave. And where there is
a crowd there are sounds. What fills up
the mornings, days and nights are the
bustling noises of people selling and
buying and the sounds of market goods.
One can bring back forgotten memories
and senses if he or she listens to a market
from dawn to night. The sounds of a
market are different from those of buses
and cars, or the metallic noise of fans
running inside a quiet space. Markets
are filled with sounds of exchange. One
word can make a lady selling food give
you more noodles. Busy retailers flood an
early morning anchovy auction with words
as they discuss whether they will sell or
not. A placid shopper quietly saunters
around as he compares prices. The busy
housewife is constantly bargaining here
and there, but never always successful.
The prices are handwritten on pieces of
paper and bargained through spoken
words. The Sound of Gently Brushing
by allows the visitors to listen in on
the daily whispers of a market through
hand-crafted wooden speakers that are
installed in a market.