Reversing The Summer
Photo documentation | 2012 - 2013
Funded by the Bauhaus Degree Completion Scholarship for Students
On September 27th, 2012, there was an accident at the Hub Global Chemical Plant in Gumi, South Korea. A large amount of toxic fluoride gas was released into the town. Within a two kilometers radius, five people died, eighteen people were in critical condition, and hundreds of people were treated for exposure to toxic gas. Many of the trees lost their leaves and the livestock developed respiratory diseases.
The project uses lamps that emit green light onto the plants and trees in the city of Gumi which have dried up and turned brown. This action references the government’s superficial cover-up of the accident while trying to bring back the original character of the site. It is a symbolic attempt to turn back time, which is inspired by the naturally changing of the seasons. Video documentation of the local scenery and interviews with people in Gumi produced to supplement the action.