Future Land 2013
work note
It was said that Jung cheol the governor of Gangwon province had passed by Goduam. He looked at the huge rock and said like a prophet that though it lay in the deep valley, in the future many people would gather at this place and admire the rock. I wonder whether his prophecy was realized but it was true that when the tungsten ores were found 1923, people crowded and a city was founded.
There was a city that was proud of its richness based on its mining industry. People rushed in expecting happy life and their dreams were fulfilled. But the prosperity did not last long. In the casual stream of time, people left the town and only traces remained.
I wonder what Song gang (Jungcheol’s nickname) could have seen and said why people would gather up at this lonely place surrounded by mountains. No doubt, not tungsten. What did he see then? What did he feel? I had to take up my camera to understand what it was.
A city that was built up by the current of capital could disappear by it, too. Seeing the ruins of the city before my eyes, I felt the story told by him can be understood in the new light. What was the world that he wanted to see? Trying to see the space freshly through the finder, I got to expect a new possibility in my photo work. Throughout seemingly useless ruins, a novel vision could appear vividly. It was the starting point of my challenge.