Shifting Center 2026: Metal Pipe Grid by Won Ji Lim
Explore Shifting Center (2026–ongoing), a 9x9x6-foot participatory sculptural installation by Chicago-based South Korean artist Won Ji Lim transforming personal rituals.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Shifting Center is a 9x9x6-foot participatory sculptural installation
- Created by Chicago-based South Korean artist Won Ji Lim
- Translates checking and counting rituals into an interactive environment
- Constructed from metal pipes, modular framework, and organic materials
What does it take for an individual to feel truly secure and grounded? This question drives the latest creation by Chicago-based South Korean artist Won Ji Lim, who has turned personal everyday habits of counting, checking, and seeking balance into an immersive and interactive environment titled Shifting Center, which began in 2026 and remains an ongoing project.
Measuring approximately 9 by 9 by 6 feet, the modular framework is built from metal pipes and connectors that closely resemble a playground jungle gym. It invites visitors to physically enter and navigate a structured system featuring suspended objects, woven membranes, transparent pockets, and balancing mechanisms designed around a series of rule-based activities.
The project pairs a rigid structural framework with unstable organic materials, such as hog casing tightly woven across sections of the metal frame. This organic material undergoes physical shifts as it stretches and dries over time, illustrating the boundaries of fixed structural order. A suspended plumb bob set inside a hand-woven square visualizes the physical pursuit of balance, while additional interactive elements include a converted baseball rebounder with a target graphic, numbered tags, and colored beads.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
This installation bridges the gap between private psychological coping mechanisms and shared public experiences. By externalizing repetitive behaviors like counting and organizing into physical actions, and utilizing organic materials that naturally shift over time, the artwork examines how humans attempt to negotiate and tame uncertainty within structured environments.
Transparent pockets within the structure house recurring thoughts and handwritten records. These entries are photographed and repeatedly placed back into the system to document the archiving process itself. Furthermore, a built-in staircase allows visitors to explore the jungle gym structure from various heights and angles, offering shifting perspectives on the spatial dynamics.
Source: designboom
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