Plastic Flowers
In 2009, I was deeply struck by the sight of plastic flowers encased in glass coffins at the Mangwol-dong Cemetery in Gwangju. These various forms of plastic flowers preserved in glass containers extended from the old Mangwol-dong Cemetery to the general graveyards, presenting a unique scene not commonly observed in typical Korean cemeteries. Initially, these glass-encased plastic flowers and objects seemed to serve as memorial objects commemorating the deaths from the 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement. They appeared as tangible representations of memory itself. The plastic flowers inside the glass cases spread from the democratic cemetery to the general burial grounds. Some of these plastic flowers, over time, displayed a unique beauty within their glass containers. Some appeared as if they were alive, while others seemed to wither away.
The plastic flowers, placed in front of graves within their glass cases, prompted contemplation on the permanence of memories and emotions. Emotions and memories in reality are not eternal; they are composed of a series of moments. The plastic flowers, gradually changing inside the glass, resembled an artificial yet natural slice of time. Through these slowly transforming plastic flowers, I reflected on the impermanence of everything in reality, and how we consider love and memory, and how we should accept them in our lives. Over time, the flowers within the glass cases were neglected, eventually becoming special waste, destined to be forgotten in reality. As I recorded the final state of the plastic flowers in the glass coffins, I found myself contemplating human emotions and memories, the eternal and the fleeting, life and death once again.