Korean language

Jihye Park

Jihye Park majored in Interaction Design at Korea National University of Arts and is currently engaged in game art. She employs games as a means of artistic expression and explores issues that arise between technology and humanity as the main themes of her work. With games as a technology-intensive medium, she intriguingly examines the contradictions that emerge when dealing with the subjects of technology and human beings. She incorporates the narrative structure of games and electronic, as well as physical, interaction methods into her work.

박지혜 20‘s ARCADE mixed media 120 X 150 X 130cm 2018

20‘s ARCADE

Back in the 1990s, when I was a very young child, we grew up watching the imaginative creations that came along with Japan's bubble economy, the comics and films. Within those scenarios filled with vibrant hopeful colors, there were tales of extraordinary protagonists who endured pain and adversity to become heroes. Is it humanity's unchangeable habit of chasing fantasies and dreaming that has advanced media and technology to this extent? Or, was it something that naturally arose as part of the steps towards economic development, with playful elements leaving their mark? Regardless, those of us in our twenties don't believe that creating a family, having children, and becoming grandparents is the goal of our lives, like the previous generations did. In our twenties, an age where we should have already become adults, we are busy communicating through media and having fun. Our traces scatter sporadically across YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, blogs, and photo albums. Our history is not recorded in textbooks, and it may float around in fragments without anyone preserving it. Perhaps this state of not having fully grown into mature adults might seem pathetic. We grew up dreaming big dreams, and although we were in that bubble, fighting for a greater cause and grand wishes seems more exhausting than just standing on our own two feet before reality. We stand in reality with both feet, looking at the rectangular screen. We navigate through cyberspace, searching for fragments of our identities here and there.

Initial Work Plan

When I initially planned this project, I envisioned an image of a cyberpunk cityscape that beckons people into virtual spaces, like the phone booths in "The Matrix" or the Digivices from "Digimon Adventure." I hoped that the artwork created would be like the traces of my young peers, wandering through cyberspace and real space, never finding a permanent place to settle. We constantly search for stability, places where our dreams can come true, or even if it's not such a place, we keep drifting and wandering. Youth seems finite, urging me forward, yet despite that, we dream of elusive escapes. The year I worked on this project, 2018, was a time when my self-confidence waned, and I contemplated giving up, as I was stuck in a prolonged slump, working alone. "20's ARCADE" weaves together my story during those youthful days, even if the result may not appear beautiful or optimistic.

Work Process

From the initial work plan, I extracted problem items related to the issues faced by the younger generation from Geun-jun Lim's text on "Zombie Modernism." I intended to create a series in a functional shooting game style based on these topics. However, I felt that borrowing texts from the older generation to discuss youth was insincere, so I wrote myself a statement to address this. Building upon that, I restructured the game's narrative and aimed to create a game that roamed through various spaces. However, I got bogged down in the details of the game for too long, and the game development ended up being a mess. Afterward, I rushed through making the game console case and external shooting, then prepared for the final exhibition.

20‘s ARCADE, While building a gaming machine (can we call this a collaboration with the carpenter?)

Until now, my work has primarily focused on creating perfect setups for exhibitions or games in controlled environments. However, this time, I aimed to install objects (game consoles) in random urban spaces, simultaneously exposing them to the real world. Since the objects (game consoles) had to be installed outdoors, I initially intended to construct them with mobility and extended use in mind, using a Raspberry Pi and a large-capacity battery. However, due to a lack of testing time, I opted to use a laptop instead. To give the feeling of players being drawn into the game, the objects installed outdoors were designed in a trapezoidal shape rather than the typical appearance of a game console. This was done to create a sense of seamlessly navigating between the overlapped virtual and physical spaces within the game.

20‘s Arcade, Game stage screen, where players can explore different spaces.

Jihye Park, 20‘s ARCADE, mixed media, 120 X 150 X 130cm, 2018

Epilogue

One of the most enjoyable aspects of this project was installing the artwork on the streets rather than inside a building. When we placed the game consoles outdoors, the artwork's context, the images created by merging with real spaces, became even more fascinating than the standalone game itself. It was intriguing to see players navigating through the game, distracted by the cacophony of street noise, the urban scenery, and the incongruous objects that were the game consoles. However, it was disappointing that the game itself was too simplistic, lacking engaging elements. For the next project, I'm eager to explore the intersection of games and physical spaces more effectively and make the game itself more captivating. Finally, I want to express my gratitude to the faculty at the Center for Art Convergence for supporting the unconventional project plan of installing not-fun interactive media game art in the heart of the streets, which is not even a conventional gift-dispensing promotional event game.

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