Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jessica Hyun Song. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jessica Hyun, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
The idea of home has been volatile for me, and I naturally formed closer connections with objects I owned rather than the place I was living in. I also got a sense of being at home from objects rather than the space itself.
My precarious relationship with home developed into an exploration of my fear of changes within the home environment and objects. It later evolved into the creation of a personalized ritual, using ritual as a vehicle to become more comfortable with changes and accept the impermanence of all things.
The ritual that this project focuses on is essentially about the infinite cycle of creating and destroying. There is no end product. Nothing is gained nor extracted during the process. I burn the paper, collect the ashes, and using the ashes, I draw more on the paper, burn it, and the process repeats itself.
This ritual is rooted in impermanence–the materials, site, and processes are inherently ephemeral. Paper is ephemeral; ashes are so vulnerable to flying away; and the drawing stand will eventually char and disintegrate with time and use. Yet, this transient is not a flaw but a feature, an acknowledgment of the tension between permanence and impermanence. It is about being comfortable with impermanence, embracing the fragility of the materials and the ephemerality of the process. This ritual will grow old with me. And it will become a way of accepting and finding peace within the momentary nature of existence.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My works investigate the fragile and often tensional relationship between self, home, and personal objects. My practice explore both the cycles of encasement and concealment as acts of protection and comfort, as well as the cycles of destruction and disposal—ritualistic gestures that reflect both a longing for security and an acknowledgment, which then leads to acceptance of vulnerability.
Through my works, I elevate mundane, everyday actions into deeply personalized rituals, using them as vehicles for seeking security in an ever-changing world through its repetitiveness. It is a doorway to a nonlinear definition of home, and a purposeful expression of breaking through the current noise and chaos.
Though most of my projects are three-dimensional, I also enjoy creating paintings and drawings that I consider accompanying objects of my furniture pieces, which often incorporate symbols like grids, circles, and geometric shapes.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
Recently, I’ve been inspired by Byung Chul Han’s “Disappearance of Rituals.” I began reading it because of its relevance to the project mentioned earlier, and i was able to find a lot of resonance. Han opens the book defining what rituals are–a symbolic technique of making oneself at home in the world. And through repetitiveness, it stabilizes life, allowing us to find peace in this chaotic world.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
Something that I think I have been taking for granted is the creative community that I am constantly exposed to at school. Now that I am in my final school year, I am realizing the importance of maintaining and being part of a creative community after graduation as well. They can be your best critics as well as supporters, and it is so important to surround yourself with people with similar interests and ambitions.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://welcomehyunsong.com
- Instagram: @jessicahsong
Image Credits
Jessica Song