Steel and Hanji Weave into Porous Vessel of Memory Inside Cold War Bunker in Seoul

Checksy Choi's 'Eotieum: The Ply of Longing' transforms a Cold War bunker into a site-specific installation that examines memory, displacement, and unresolved connection through steel, hanji, and participatory spatial interventions.

The choice of the bunker is integral to the project. Originally constructed to withstand military impact, the concrete structure provides an architectural environment defined by enclosure, distance, and endurance. Instead of treating the site as a symbolic backdrop, the exhibition works directly with its physical characteristics to shape the spatial experience.

The central work, Eotieum Vessel, occupies the first chamber as a 4.3-meter-long structure built from a welded steel framework covered with thousands of individually hand-torn fragments of hanji, traditional Korean paper. These fragments form 'Gyeokja', a lattice-based visual language developed from traditional Korean timber screen structures, remaining intentionally porous to light, air, and visitors.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

The exhibition extends through interconnected works activating movement and participation. In the corridor, 'You May Pull the Vessel' features a small hanji boat continued by visitors, while the second chamber presents 'Net Hug', where a steel grid supports hanji footprints and allows visitors on opposite sides to embrace through its openings.