ETC
About
pitapitakim@gmail.com
Print on Tracing Paper
29,7 X 21,4 cm
Metal, 3 Chanel Audio
96 X 96 X 52 cm, Variable installation
By contrasting a garage being demolished and a penthouse being built at a construction site, the project navigate the boundary between past and future, documenting the flow of time in the gentrification area Katendrecht, Rotterdam. Phenomena of gentrification in this construction site, where remnants of the past meet visions of the future, provides a space to find new value through noise, waste, and the unstable time felt within it.
A sound piece is made from the sounds of the machines on the site. The score of this piece is then engraved on to the circular metal using a sound-image extraction process. Through the three different types of speakers included in the installation, creating an immersive experience.
Agar-agar, PVC
Variable installation
Artificial chemical materials have deeply penetrated our lives, and we use them daily. We know they are harmful to the environment, but to what extent? The impacts are often invisible. Perhaps my immediate concern is staying clean. Moreover, convenient materials also support our health. For instance, Gore-Tex hiking boots are comfortable. The dilemma between what is harmful and beneficial, or between protecting nature and immediately protecting ourselves, will persist. These issues are entangled with complex interests and cannot all be quantified. The pollution in Biesbosch affects our daily lives. Eggs harvested near Dordrecht are distributed to local supermarkets, and although swimming near Biesbosch is discouraged, the water keeps flowing somewhere. Even if non-stick baking paper and pans no longer contain PFAS, we have used pans and baking paper with PFAS for decades. On rainy days, we still need waterproof materials.
Therefore, this project transforms the mud texture of Biesbosch Swamp into natural materials like agar-agar and SCOBY to show bacterial growth. Clothes we wear daily, such as underwear and shoes that protect our bodies, are made by mixing agar and PVC. Agar is a plant-based, edible material that contains nutrients suitable for bacteria. Additionally, agar petri dishes display the collection of body bacteria from human-being gathered from Biesbosch.
#When I was walking in the Biesbosch in January, the snow on the ground neither melted nor froze. Muddy slush covered most of the Biesbosch. As I took my first steps, I felt a mix of fear and hesitation.
- Is it okay to step here?
- Will my shoes get wet? I don’t want to dirty my shoes.
- What if I sink into the swamp?
#I was somewhat relieved that my leather boots kept my feet from getting directly wet, but I regretted not wearing Gore-Tex waterproof shoes.
#I enjoyed walking in nature, breathing fresh air, listening to birds, and gazing at the vast wetlands. I wanted to immerse myself more deeply into nature, but not to the point of actually sinking into it.
#At the same time, I disliked getting dirty.
#As I pondered these thoughts, I saw the Chemour Factory across the Biesbosch, emitting smoke like clouds. They developed Teflon, a fabric material known for being waterproof and resistant to dirt, stains, and spills.
#Ironically, what I needed now was a product from the chemical factory next to Biesbosch Park. The Chemour Factory is also actively researching its environmental impacts.
- Is it okay to step here?
- Will my shoes get wet? I don’t want to dirty my shoes.
- What if I sink into the swamp?
#I was somewhat relieved that my leather boots kept my feet from getting directly wet, but I regretted not wearing Gore-Tex waterproof shoes.
#I enjoyed walking in nature, breathing fresh air, listening to birds, and gazing at the vast wetlands. I wanted to immerse myself more deeply into nature, but not to the point of actually sinking into it.
#At the same time, I disliked getting dirty.
#As I pondered these thoughts, I saw the Chemour Factory across the Biesbosch, emitting smoke like clouds. They developed Teflon, a fabric material known for being waterproof and resistant to dirt, stains, and spills.
#Ironically, what I needed now was a product from the chemical factory next to Biesbosch Park. The Chemour Factory is also actively researching its environmental impacts.
Styrofoam Board, Sculpey,
21 X 21x 58 cm
About the five senses we have, project delves into the concept of essential senses and investigates the interplay between the spatial sense, sense of balance, sense of time, and auditory perception. I aim to envision how sounds are perceived distinctively based on various scenarios and contextual settings. By piecing together fragments of sensory experiences, a new narrative can emerge, revealing the underlying essence that transcends observable phenomena or disregards contextual factors. Through this approach, I put forth a proposition for interpreting the senses by means of intangible phenomena that can be felt through auditory cues in a given environment.
Party balloons, Mirror,
78 x 220 cm
The project started from explore of two key elements: calcium, which is an essential ingredient in our bodies, and calcium carbonate, a raw material used to produce stalactites in caves. Just as sedimentation and elevation occur naturally in the environment, natural weathering also occurs within our bodies. The project expresses the feelings that arise when by-products grown from our bodies are exposed outside the body. When we look in the mirror and see the integration of these byproducts, we experience these feelings.
Printed paper, chicken wire,
75 x 105 x 34 cm
The afterlife of digital imagery prompts questions about its fate in the vast online world. Our digital data persists even after our physical presence ceases, floating through complex algorithms. Each image not only captures a moment but gives birth to another, creating an interconnected web of visual content. Digital artifacts perpetually exist in an intangible state, in contrast to tangible objects. It visualizes the fear of the future and the curiosity about if things that have left our hands are reborn.
Pitakim/ 김유빈
Pita Kim is a visual designer based in Seoul and Rotterdam. Her research explores intangible elements to visible material such as light, sound, transparency and multi-dimensional image making through analog and digital methods. She is fascinated about the relationship between physical and virtual reality which explores the optical experience implied by objects and spaces with a challenging human-centered perspective. With her unique methodology of material metamorphosis, she has given workshop at the Soongsil University in Seoul and Wdka in Rotterdam. Currently she is working on design research project 'Matter of Seeing, with materiality of invisible', at the Piet Zwart Institute, Interior Architecture: Research & Design, where she examines the materiality of transparent objects and their potential through technological aids.