Kim Jeong Woo X Kim So Yeon
Tree
(思惟: Contemplation or Think deeply)
Kim Jeong Woo
Owner of the woodcraft brand SMW (Sumokwon, or arboretum) that showcases various pieces ranging from stationery items to furniture. Through everyday objects the brand aims to share the sense of relaxation and happiness a tree gives. It focuses on creating useful and lasting products that are both practical and subdued.
Kim So Yeon
Pat, Co Knits [Pastorale, Comodo]
I knit as if I paint.
I make small things for smaller things.
As long as the finished work is perceived as one piece of artwork, it does not matter whether it is concrete or abstract, or whether it uses knitting needles or a crochet hook. The things that draw my attention are reborn as one piece of work. Regardless of what they may be, I continue to produce things that reflect who I am.
[Subject of Contemplation]
‘Trees are everywhere. Luscious green exists in all places. We recognize the passing of seasons when leaves change their color. Did I thoroughly take in the trees of the past seasons?”
Tree is a subject of contemplation for both artists. While one deeply thinks of its use, the other learns about the value of particular moments in its life cycle. Both regard trees as a subject of observation and interpret it in their own way.
When one accepts trees as they are, they recognize the free space in life. We hope that everyone has room in their hearts to observe trees.
[Bark]
We need to strenuously tilt our heads to find the tip of a tree. But tree trunks naturally fall into our field of vision, so we look at it more often.It was when I stood eye to eye with the part that connects all the expanding branches, that I noticed the bark.
Trees start growing from one point, stretching upwards and downwards, and growing from within as well. Their oldest part, pushed outwards as they grow, exists in a form that is sometimes too rough to touch and sometimes smoothly carved.
The bark of a tree protects the newly growing skin in its own shape and place. It wraps around and coats the pillar. And when it’s time, it breaks and falls. The chunks cover the ground and sometimes they travel with the cold breeze.
I expressed the bark with yarn; from its submission to the continuous time to its deterioration and fall. Bark is a symbol of growth and acts as a layer of protection. When it falls to the ground or touches someone along the breeze, I hope it happens with such softness.
Gobi(考備)
A type of indoor furniture that hangs on the wall of a room or a living room designed to keep letters or paper rolls.
Gobi is a type of stationery furniture unique to South Korean sedentary lifestyle, designed to keep letters and paper rolls. Since it is a traditional wall-decorating furniture, the value of the design carries equal emphasis to its practicality.
(Source: Cultural Archetype Glossary)
Both Gobis are made of gingko trees. The front of the left Gobi uses the kukoraki tree with black patterns found in the heartwood of a persimmon tree to add a sense of decor. The front of the right Gobi is a piece of colored knitted work with knitting needles, showing the patterns of the kurokaki tree. The two contrasting materials – wood and yarn – sit together in harmony.
Lamp & pencil holder
It is a lamp and a pencil holder made by attaching tree bark made from knitted yarn to a piece of wood. I hope this small piece of tree trunk provides room for a moment of contemplation.
WINDOW EXHIBHITION
1. Gobi / Ginkgo, a black persimmon tree, knitted piece / 2023
2. Lamp & pencil holder / tree, fiber / 2023