TONY KIM

SELECTS

“Murkish”

2017, Art Direction,
A yearlong collaboration with Seattle Demo Project

One soon-to-be-demolished house.
One Year.
9 Artists.

Over the past year, The Seattle Demo Project has transformed this house into a vibrant creative space. It has served as transitional housing, site specific art installation, artist studio, film set, performance space, and public hall to communicate with the architects. It has also sparked the curiosity of passerbyers by visually engaging the streetside. By inviting arts and cultural communities into the space, the ambition of this project was to peel away the Murk through Urban Interaction, allowing neighbors the opportunity to build positive memories with our changing city.

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“In shadows”

2015, A collaboration with Rex Hohlbein, Facing Homelessness

We worked with the family to prevent the chaos seen in similar developments in the area.

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“When Lightning Strikes”

2015, A collaboration with RS-VR

“When Lightning Strikes” is a Light installation, exposing the insides of a formerly squatted house. Previously obscured by shadows, this installation provides the whole corner with a constant yellow glow. The gestural ‘strike’ cuts through every room, marking out new territory in the space, while keeping the puzzling markings and remnants of the previous tenants. Boldly visible from the street, the ‘lightning strike’ invites passerbyers to watch the evolution of the home, from today to its eventual demolition.

photos by Tony Kim

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“Clouds roll in”

2015, A collaboration with Seattle Design Nerds

“Clouds Roll in” is a time-based Inflatable Art installation, expanding and contracting inside the space. Sitting on the porch, we were noticing how much the weather plays in the passing of time – Clouds roll in, stretching out towards the mountains. We wanted to simulate that experience for people walking along 12th and Thomas. The Seattle Design Nerds have built and experimented with several inflatable structures and installations all around Seattle, activating public and vacant spaces with their temporary structures.

Throughout the day, the installation inflates and deflates on an automatic timer giving passerbyers the sense of clouds rolling in and out of the space. Combined with the previous installation, “When Lightning Strikes”, the Clouds roll in providing a hazy glow. When the installation deflates, The lightning shines bright – much like an average spring day in Seattle.

photos courtesy of Trevor Dykstra & Tony Kim

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Christin Call

2015, A month-long artist residency

As with previous Demo Projects, we invited other artists to do long term installations in these otherwise vacant spaces. In this house, we invited artist, Christin Call to bring her background of Performance art, visual art, and poetry to this already rich space.

Her project, “What is Home an Obscure Kingdom and Opera Buffa It’s You Always You” has left physical remnants in the space, but is largely ephemeral – referencing the perceptible rumbles of thunder. She also produced a short film, “After Dinner” with Film maker, Cainan Martens.

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“Public Comment”

2015, A collaboration with Hybrid Space

In the development process with the city, neighbors are asked to submit comments and concerns to the city about projects currently being designed in their neighborhood. It’s the neighborhood’s opportunity to be involved in the design and planning process.

As a part of the Hybrid Space monthly art events, this commentary process is being brought back to the public. This is an open invitation to be part of this dialogue about design, urbanism, and changing developments in the city. The architects/developer of the future project will be available as well as an exhibition of the house’s history, the public comments received by the architects, and a bulletin board to post your own comments. The comments left by the participants will be documented and left on the building until its eventual demolition.

photos courtesy of Trevor Dykstra & Tony Kim

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Tony Kim

2015, An artist residency

“Bones like love letters.”
“I just want to see this whole space blotted out.”
“I love these, They’re like Carcasses.”
“I want to break everything – the sounds are just so … mmmm!”

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‘Sans’

2015, An art performance by Danse Theatre Surreality

‘Sans’ is created by Lauren Hlubny (experimental theatre director, NYC/Paris), Christin Call (Coriolis Dance a Seattle contemporary ballet company co-founder), Daniel Christensen (Seattle actor involved in Fringe around town, including LiveGirls, Annex, and 14/48), and Joshua Dent (Nashville cellist and music improvisation instructor).
An actor, dancer, and cellist are propelled to their most powerful and exposed existence, in the nude. Enter a surreal world where the stigmas of classical gender are challenged, and witness the beauty and savagery that ensues. What does it feel like to be without limits?

Learn more about the ‘Sans’ performance. photo courtesy of DTS

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‘There is no here here’

2015, A collaboration with Squeak Meisel

“How we ‘treat our dying’ is an integral part of dying well.”

“Chöd” means “to cut,” “to release,” or “to go beyond” in Tibetan. Partly based in ritual & partly based in memory, Chöd ceremonies help us find new ways to remember. Interpreting a contemporary expression of the
This is the last installation and event in the storied house on 12th and Thomas, aptly named “Murkish”.

-- text from squeak