This project has been postponed until Friday, October 21, due to the 80% chance of rain all day tomorrow, October 14. 

On October 21, 2011(updated date), artist Ujin Lee will present a site-specific public art project at Thomas Paine Park in New York City. This will be her third collaborative project with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation for its Art in the Parks program.Through collaborations with a diverse group of arts organizations and artists, the program brings to the public both experimental and traditional art in many park locations.

17x17 squares consists of a performance and installation involving viewer participation of the general public. The performance starts with Ujin Lee and six artists tying together 289 pieces of traditional Korean wrapping cloth, or bojagi. When all the cloths are tied by all four corners, open flat, they will form a larger square of cloth, 17 squares on each side. The public will then be invited to untie the individual cloths to take home. The project will be completed when the last cloth disappears and the space is once again empty. The entire process will be photo- and video-documented.

For this project, Lee collected 289 pieces of bojagi cloths from households in her hometown, Seoul, Korea. Each cloth is square in shape but vary in color, size, and pattern. Bojagi has been used for wrapping and carrying goods in Korea from time immemorial. Koreans long believed that wrapping objects with bojagi not only showed respect but also brought good fortune and luck. Most importantly, this traditional wrap is not only practical, but also a sustainable and eco-friendly article due to its nearly endless reusability.

Lee is interested in ideas of emptiness, impermanence, and the continuous flux of movement.In this project, she explores these ideas by first occupying an empty space and filling it with tangible objects, only to relinquish the material items and pass them on to others, returning the space to its empty state. “Everything is fluid and in flux,” says the artist, “—objects seem to disappear from my possession but are only in transition; they are somewhere else in the form of something else.” Through her bojagi projects, she views herself as an intermediary of this constant flow; gathering pieces of cloththen transferring them to new owners.

Where your money will go towards 

20% of the project cost has already been secured thanks to funding provided by Taejung Industrial Co., LTD. The funds I raise on Kickstarter will be used to covershipping costs for the cloths collected from Korea; paying volunteer artists for transportation and lunch; hiring a photographer, videographer, and assistants; and printing invitation cards.

Your contribution will make it possible for the public to experience and get involved in this amazing public art project. Thank you very much in advance for your valued support of my work and realm of art!

Where you can find out more about the artist and her past projects

http://ujinleeart.com/

http://www.nycgovparks.org/art/year2011/page4

http://www.nycgovparks.org/art/year2010/page4

http://eastvillagehowler.blogspot.com/2010/09/spotlight-on-art-artist-ujin-lee.html

http://www.dailyfinance.com/rtn/pr/7th-annual-howl-festival-september-10-12-2010-pays-tribute-to-9-11-in-new-york-city-s-tompkins-square-park/rfid362755766/