SPECIMENS OF TIME: GWANGNEUNG

Specimens of Time: Gwangneung is a data-driven generative light installation that preserves the atmosphere of Gwangneung Forest as a living presence. Rather than depicting the forest visually, the artwork carries its sensory imprint, the feeling of standing inside a dense protected ecosystem where filtered daylight, drifting mist, and subtle shifts in brightness define the experience of place.

The installation is built as an internal environment for light. Layers of translucent optical materials, etched acrylic, organic elements sourced from nature, and synthetic components form a sculptural structure with which light can interact. Parametrically controlled light moves, refracts, scatters, and casts shifting shadows through these materials, producing an ever-changing sense of depth, atmosphere, and physiological presence. This movement is generative and never repeats, allowing the artwork to evolve continuously over time.

The work is driven by real-time temperature data accessed through the Korean Meteorological Agency API Hub. A 30-year regional climate average provides the baseline against which current conditions are read. When present temperatures rise above this historical norm, the internal light shifts into cooler blues and purples. These changes appear gentle at first, yet they signal a landscape drifting out of balance. What seems serene gradually reveals an underlying instability and the quiet vulnerability of the forest today.

Materials: Optical filters, projectors, computer, custom software, data, metal, and wood
Dimensions: 43.3 x 86.6 x 11.8 in / 110 x 220 x 30 cm
Location: Permanently installed in Korean Air’s Prestige Business Lounge, Seoul, Korea
Year: 2026