‘The Surface’ is located in a public place with an important environmental context. The site is a slope within the museum where you can see the Cheonggye and Maebong Mountain in the distance. The premise of the slope was used in this project as an essential element in enabling a variety of experiences in the interaction between visitors, terrain and topographic features.
Surface is a sensually interactive installation that allows people to empathize with nature in new ways. About 700 individual structures reminiscent of trees, lotus leaves, and umbrellas form the surface. The surface is made of nylon (Nylon Mesh) and is installed on top of flexible poles (screw+POM). The unique nylon meshes morph in response to temperature or humidity. At the highest point of the slope, the colours of the sky and trees are reflected on the surface, swaying in the wind, allowing people to experience the horizon. When you go down the slope and walk between the poles and look up at the surface, you will experience another nature like looking at the sky through the leaves of a forest. The sound is shaken by wind, rain, and snow, and the visitors see, hear, and interact with each other through the action of wandering between these surfaces.
At sunset, the boundary between the end of the earth and the sunset gives people an impressive visual experience. We have focused on ensuring that the sensuous interaction between people and nature occurs even after sunset.
We committed to use only a handful of people to transport, construct, and dismantle of the structure, as a result, a structure-integrated lighting could increase the weight or size of the structure, so it was initially excluded. In addition, considering the environment in which people touch and walk around the structure, it was necessary to bring out the maximum effect with minimal lighting. Through a 1:1 mock-up test for light transmission, reflection, and colour on a nylon material, we planned the appearance of the surface expressed with light.
The colour temperature was carefully selected in consideration of the colour that changes according to the season and surrounding environment, and warm white in-ground lighting was installed on about half of the entire surface to be updated. Lighting fixtures with various beam angles were randomly arranged from low structures installed at high altitudes on slopes to high structures installed at low altitudes.
The nylon material on the surface retains light and reflects and spreads in a space without ambient lighting. At night, the surface with the light feels like a shimmering wave, it presents an unforgettable experience in which wind, light, and touch coexist.
