The acoustic and visual imagery was simple and presented in such a way that the technology was not a distraction, even overtly apparent. From a compositional perspective, the shape of the piece was interesting because it shifted in dynamics, rhythm, texture, and, even melodic at times.
There were basically four sections to the piece. The first section presented the elements of AM transmissions, an amplified pen with mounted camera. The live video of Mr. Kwon's writing combined with the tactile sound of paper being scored with the stylus of ink pen was a musical gesture because it shaped my sense of time passing as something I viewing from the outside. The characters (which I assume are from the Hangul alphabet) in, and of themselves, require strong gestures. The live video of this act instilled a sense of something nostalgic. Not only because the materials, but quality of the video as well which almost appeared as candle light. Section two of the piece was (really) a pop-song accompanied by a simple rhythmic loop. The twist being a strong visual image consisting of a close-up of his eye. The close-up was so close that I lost my reference to anatomy; the iris appeared as swirling gas on a planet. Of course, the reflection from his lens of the light source, was like that of a nearby star. Also, his processed voice was modulated similar to a warped record. The third section involved threading an electrically sensitive rope that produced chaotic clicks and pops through the audience. The fourth, and last section, was a slow moving ebb and flow of tidal white noise which fading into the ether. Again, a feeling of nostalgia as I thought I might of heard voices on the AM frequency again.
The ocean, AM radio, the sound of pen on paper (the original text message), and a vintage sounding voice, are elements which can evoke some metaphorical references. What I walked away with was a sense of timelessness of the human experience in the context of displacement or travel. That is, continuous processes that we all face and experience. The sea is constant, as is the quality of voice on the radio. And, though our lives shift more quickly over this slower moving landscape, each of us are in some way, connected. In reference to the rope, I think of what a friend once said, "Don't fall off the boat."
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