craftzine.com/10/paek
CRAFTER
B Y LAURA KINIRY
Interaction designer Joo Youn Paek’s (anything but) routine interpretations.
An umbrella that bows politely to make way for others. A commuter dress with a built-in inflatable seat. New York artist and interaction designer Joo Youn Paek’s designs cater to everyday events so ordinary they seem like things Jerry Seinfeld might invent if he had the skills.
“I want to make those repetitive moments into unique experiences,” says Paek. “My hope is [that] after experiencing my design, audiences will recall my story when they are back in their life routine again.”
Paek has always been interested in the relationship between body and space. She’s been incorporating this connection into her designs for years, but before enrolling in N YU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) — a master’s program exploring communication technology as a source of inspiration — she was never quite sure how to categorize her work.
Was it mixed media, since her pieces often combined modified objects and wearable art with performance? And what happened once she photographed or videotaped the performance — didn’t that create an entirely separate artwork? “I wasn’t able to define if it was ‘interaction design,’” says Paek, “because I didn’t have that term as a concept until I went to ITP.”
Already holding both a B.A. and M.A. in sculpture, Paek came from Korea to the United States to further her artistic skills. It was at ITP that she began making electronic circuits, writing computer software, and incorporating other technological
elements into her pieces.
An example is Fold Loud, sheets of paper sewn with visible open circuits that produce sounds as the circuits close, depending on how each sheet is folded and refolded. The papers can also be overlapped to produce numerous sounds simultaneously, resulting in a musical origami.
After watching people interact with Fold Loud — something she does with all her designs as a continuing step in her creative process — Paek began constructing Fold Loud 2, a similar piece that will also incorporate spoken words.
One of the main reasons Paek was originally attracted to New York City is her penchant for people-watching. Her observations eventually become works like Polite Umbrella, an umbrella whose canopy narrows to a capsule with the pull of an extendable handle — perfect for navigating the city’s busy sidewalks.
Especially popular in Korea is Paek’s Pillowig, a wearable pillow that looks like a mix between the Red Baron’s and Flying Nun’s headgear, with a bit of plush thrown in for kicks. Paek garnered so much attention when she wore it around Seoul that she ended up creating 20 or 30 of them and exchanging them for donations at one of her art shows. One even ended up in a comedy sketch on Korean TV.
“People wanted it because it was funny or cute,” she says, “but I think more desire came from their need for enough sleep.”
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