Paik Nam-june's biggest work of art being restored... how is it being done?
- 4 years ago
백남준의 ‘다다익선’에 올라간 보존과학자들... 명작은 어떻게 수리되고있나
Artwork might seem timeless, but modern pieces with functioning parts can easily wear out.
Without restoration, they could lose the sparkle that wowed visitors in the first place.
Right now, one of Paik Nam-june's best known works of modern art is being painstakingly restored.
Our Kim Bo-kyoung shows us this process in detail.
Small televisions are carefully being separated.
The centerpiece of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi-do Province, this 18-point-5 meter tall work of art is being restored.
“‘The More, the Better’,... is the biggest work of art by Paik Nam-june,... known as the founder of Korea’s video arts. It was made to commemorate the Seoul Olympics in 1988.”
The one-thousand-three monitors had been running for around 30 years before they were found to be too dangerous to be kept on in 2018.
After a long discussion with experts, the museum announced its conservation plan last year and decided to preserve the original parts as best as it can and replace parts that are impossible to restore with new technology.
The restoration work will take until 2022.
The first step is to take out all the worn out monitors,... and clean away all the debris and dust for a detailed inspection.
The art restorers will then check whether the televisions can be turned on, whether the colors on the monitors are shown well, and whether they can receive signals well.
This year, all the televisions and other parts such as the electrical system will be inspected in detail and the museum will decide how many televisions to repair and to replace with new technology.
"Lots of other countries also have Paik's artwork,... and they are dealing with the same problem, how to conserve the artwork. When we are done with the restoration of 'The More the Better',... I expect other global art museums to model their restorations on our work process."
Although it is tough work, the art restorers are looking forward to the day when visitors can marvel at Paik's masterpiece in all its glory.
Kim Bo-kyoung, Arirang News.
Artwork might seem timeless, but modern pieces with functioning parts can easily wear out.
Without restoration, they could lose the sparkle that wowed visitors in the first place.
Right now, one of Paik Nam-june's best known works of modern art is being painstakingly restored.
Our Kim Bo-kyoung shows us this process in detail.
Small televisions are carefully being separated.
The centerpiece of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi-do Province, this 18-point-5 meter tall work of art is being restored.
“‘The More, the Better’,... is the biggest work of art by Paik Nam-june,... known as the founder of Korea’s video arts. It was made to commemorate the Seoul Olympics in 1988.”
The one-thousand-three monitors had been running for around 30 years before they were found to be too dangerous to be kept on in 2018.
After a long discussion with experts, the museum announced its conservation plan last year and decided to preserve the original parts as best as it can and replace parts that are impossible to restore with new technology.
The restoration work will take until 2022.
The first step is to take out all the worn out monitors,... and clean away all the debris and dust for a detailed inspection.
The art restorers will then check whether the televisions can be turned on, whether the colors on the monitors are shown well, and whether they can receive signals well.
This year, all the televisions and other parts such as the electrical system will be inspected in detail and the museum will decide how many televisions to repair and to replace with new technology.
"Lots of other countries also have Paik's artwork,... and they are dealing with the same problem, how to conserve the artwork. When we are done with the restoration of 'The More the Better',... I expect other global art museums to model their restorations on our work process."
Although it is tough work, the art restorers are looking forward to the day when visitors can marvel at Paik's masterpiece in all its glory.
Kim Bo-kyoung, Arirang News.