Kim’s work featured in Kiewit Luminarium ‘Glow’ exhibit
calendar icon21 Nov 2023 user iconBy Kathe C. Andersen
Lincoln, Neb.--Jinku Kim, assistant professor of practice in emerging media arts in the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film, is one of four artists selected for “Glow,” an exhibition of light, art and science, at Omaha’s Kiewit Luminarium.
“Glow” is on display from Nov. 16 through Jan. 11, 2024, during regular museum hours, as well as at the adults-only Thursday night events at Kiewit Luminarium, located at 345 Riverfront Drive. For tickets and hours, visit https://kiewitluminarium.org.
The two-month transformation of Kiewit Luminarium for “Glow” will feature light art and digital art experiences from local and national artists, as well as changing science programming in collaboration with experts on topics such as bioluminescence, neon and how we use light for healing and wellness.
“We are excited to bring Jinku's work back to Kiewit Luminarium for GLOW,” said Julie DeWitt, vice president of marketing at Kiewit Luminarium. “Not only is his art mesmerizing, but Jinku's creative process using sound and visual elements is a learning opportunity for our guests. GLOW is a chance to experience incredible art that ties to our content areas while exploring exhibits and activities on light, sound, and other phenomena."
In addition to Kim, the other artists participating in the exhibition include CHIKA, Foldhaus Collective and Karen Chaka. In addition, lighting company Fade Up will change the visual experience of the museum during the exhibit.
Kim’s work, “Hard-Wired Wonderland,” was selected for display at Kiewit Luminarium for its opening last spring.
“I participated in the opening of the Kiewit Luminarium, where I was invited as the opening artist,” Kim said. “Through this connection, I have the opportunity to work with them again.”
His work for the “Glow” exhibition will be a continuation of that work titled “Hard-Wired Wonderland @ Glow.” He has added new elements, including spatial augmented reality.
“This was a site-specific work,” he said. “During the first exhibition, my work was in the River Room, which has large windows connecting to the river. I focused on connecting my work with the natural surroundings. Now, I’m setting up my project in a flexible space on the first floor, a black box-type area. Lately, I’ve been inspired by quantum physics, especially through the Grand Challenge project, where it plays a key role in shaping the ideas for this project.”
Kim is on the project team for Quantum Business, Arts and Science for Society (Q-BASS), which received a 2022 Catalyst Award in the UNL Office of Research & Economic Development’s Grand Challenges initiative. Through Q-BASS, Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy Kees Uiterwaal is leading a team of artists, physicists and education researchers to improve science communication through mixed reality, an interactive, computer-based experience that inserts three-dimensional objects into the viewer’s field of vision.
“Hard-Wired Wonderland” is an audiovisual installation that explores the connection between sonic, visual and space elements.
“In this work, I contrasted two scenes to explore the perceptual experiences that are created by the integration of multiple sensory inputs,” Kim wrote in his artist statement about the piece on his website. “One scene pursues a synesthetic experience through tightly synchronized audiovisual elements. The other is to find a synchronized experience through asynchronized audio-visual elements. I utilize a particle system to connect and generate the visual elements in both of the scenes. The particle system demonstrates how the same core material is reshaped, changed and rearranged by their relationship with other materials.”
Kim is happy to participate in another exhibit at Kiewit Luminarium.
“I have been contemplating this work through my involvement with the quantum project, a subject that has opened up new imaginative realms for me,” he said. “Through collaboration with physicists, artists, educators and myself, I have gained considerable inspiration, transforming it into artwork.”