Fly, fireflies

The reed field on the inland water in front of Gyeonggi Creation Center used to be a salt field where the children detained at the Seongam reformatory were exploited, and was the place to which the children who attempted to escape could not return after falling into the sea. The work Fly, fireflies is a kinetic work designed to be seen mainly at night in remembrance of the children’s pain at the Seongam reformatory.
The ‘firefly’, commonly known as the ‘light­ning bug’, has been designated as a natural monument. This insect can only inhabit a clean environment where contamination is minimal, and it spends about 250 days as larva under the water during its life span. When spring rain ar­rives, it moves out to the land and goes through a pupal stage for a month before growing into an adult insect. During its two week-long life span, it generates light while solely living off dew. As described above, the life of a firefly has sublime beauty and poignancy, just like the children at the old Seongam reformatory.
The work titled Fireflies installed at the entrance of the field of reeds on the inland water presents fireflies' lightning from sunset to mid­night. In order to present the movements of 50 fireflies as naturally as possible, I used the turn­ing force of a motor and the mobility of magnets so as to display the irregular movements of the fireflies. Also, I designed the work in a way that minimizes fatigue of the animals and plants
inhabiting the area by operating it within a cer­tain time frame.
Through the work Fireflies, twinkling among the pitch dark reeds, I would like to bring newly revitalized sensibilities to the field of reeds, consolidating the resentful spirits of the painful history with light.