‘South Taste Bud’
-Organization of proliferation for south taste buds stimulating worm-
Street Festival. Seoul . Created by UB & Heeun
While I was studying in Korea, my friends and I created a public art installation called ‘South Taste Buds’, which involved a laboratory themed art installation space where quirky doctor-characters performed. This project also included video installation, public engagement and distribution of Korean traditional candies. It was a part of street festival in Seoul, engaged with over 100 residents and members of the local council.
The purpose of this project was creating a quirky space in the middle of the street and experiment what arts can do in the public space.
We performed scientists who study a very specific subject, ‘Dalgona’(sweety); which is a Korean old fashioned candy made of sugar and sodium bicarb. This candy had been sold in front of elementary schools in Korea, cost of 50 cents. After school all the hungry kids gathered around by this dodgy simple sugar thingy. It was quite interesting to see how to make ‘Dalgona’ as it had some performance elements of chemistry process such as melting sugar, mixing up baking soda and expending and changing the colour. The sellers usually had a few different tools to create some shaves such as a star or a flower. These patterns used for winning a bonus ‘Dalgona’, with the condition of kids eat the candy around the design without cracking it. Overall, this candy gives Koran some nostalgia about childhoods.
In the middle of street, we attracted audiences using nostalgic sweet smell and read to our art installation themed science laboratory. When audiences arrived, two scientists (UB & Heeun) were trying to find the conspiracy in of the ‘Dalgona’ creature and experiment to audiences. Their theory is ‘Dalgona’ is a type of parasite who breeds by human body.
Audiences had a fun and surprised by this contradiction between familiar subject ‘Dalgona’ and pseudo scientists in laboratory installation.
