Ihyangjeong: Carving with Memories is by Korean 2D animator Sunghwan Lee of Studio Shelter, who used Quill to tell a spatial story about the connections between home, objects, and memory. The piece tells a larger story of Lee’s journey from a dingy basement city apartment, the memories of his father’s home in a traditional Korean home, to his aspirations of building a custom home in the country that can be a vessel for his memories. Lee emphasized the use of VR as a form of memory capture and sharing his own confusion and struggles around his journey of finding comfort in his home.
I had a chance to talk with Lee at SXSW through Korean interpreter Abigail Hyun-Gee Jei, and so the first half of this conversation is the English version, and there is a full Korean version starting at 29 minutes and 15 seconds. (인터뷰의 한국어 부분은 29분 15초부터 시작됩니다.)
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Music: Fatality
Rough Transcript
[00:00:05.412] Kent Bye: The Voices of VR Podcast.
[00:00:11.932] Sunghwan Lee: Hello, my name is Kent Bye, and welcome to the Voices of Yara podcast. So in today's episode is with the creator named Sungwon Lee, who created Iwong Jeong, Carving with Memories. So just so you know, the first half of this conversation is going to be the English version, and the second half is going to be the Korean version. I actually had a translator, Abigail J, who translated this conversation with Sungwon Lee at South by Southwest. So just a little bit of context of this piece. So this piece was created by a Toonie animator who, this is the first VR piece, it's a Quill piece. So it is being shown within Quill, and it's covering this relationship between space and architecture and our memories. And so Seong-won's actually using the virtual reality medium to sketch out the various different memories that he has with his father's house, which is the Iwon Jung house that is between two cedars. And then he goes through where he's living in Korea and then into these other various different iterations, one of which is like this really abstracted vision of this home that he wants to strive for. And eventually he ends up moving from the city into more of a rural area. So it's a story that's kind of about his journey into that, but also reflecting upon the relationship between space and objects and memories. So that's what we're covering on today's episode of Voices of VR podcast. So this interview with someone happened on Wednesday, March 16th, 2022 at the Southwest Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas. So with that, let's go ahead and dive right in. So my name is Abigail Jae, or my Korean name is Hyunji Jae. I'm a first year graduate student at Texas A&M University. I major in industrial engineering, more specifically human factors and cognitive engineering. So that's what I do in real life. And before coming to graduate school, I used to be an interpreter in the military. So that's where I got my interpretation background. But I am just really happy to be here, help out with the translation process.
[00:02:17.510] Kent Bye: I'm from Carving with Memories, Lee Hyang Jung.
[00:02:22.431] Sunghwan Lee: Hi, my name is Lee Sung Wan. I'm the director of Lee Hyang Jung's Carving with the Memories. So in the VR realm, I've never done anything before. This is actually my first piece that does anything with VR. I usually worked with the 2D animations, the animations that have a lot of actions and a lot of movements. Those are the things that I used to like and I worked a lot with. And this is my first time talking about my own story, what's inside of me, and very sentimental story. So working on this piece, I really surprised myself too. Maybe you could give a bit more context as to your background and your journey into VR. As I mentioned before, I used to work in the 2D animation world. I actually worked for a company called Studio Shelter, and it's a quite well-known company in the world of 2D animation in Korea. And working in that world, I didn't really change my style of working or my profession. And, you know, I really liked animation since I was very young. So that became my college major and that became my job eventually. And then I established a company with my friends called Studio Shelter. So that's how I was into the 2D animation world. And all of a sudden this VR thing came up. I have friends working in that world, but I didn't really have any interest in that 3D animation or the VR world. because I thought the equipments were kind of uncomfortable and I thought it would need more development so I didn't think it was for me so I kind of like distanced myself from that world because you know I really like 2D animation and I just had this ambiguous distance that I felt towards a 3D world and one day I was talking to my partner Kiai, the partner company and they asked me whether I wanted to work on the VR project with them And I thought it was all cool and interesting, but my boss said, it's your job, like, if we're gonna do it, you're gonna have to do it. And I was like, oh, yeah. And then I, you know, like, it kind of surprised me that it would come to me to do it. And I didn't really know whether I could really do it because I've never done it before. And I just really was into the 2D animation world. And, you know, just talking to my colleagues and all about this whole project and the prospect of working on the VR project, I was at the time experiencing some problems, like the housing issues of my own, and I thought, you know, like, I could always make this into something, but I never knew, like, when that was gonna happen. And talking about new project and the possibility of the VR project kind of brought all of this together, and I was talking to my colleagues about it, and they all thought it was very good idea, A lot of interesting topics and the details came up. And, you know, after talking to my colleagues, all of that just kind of summed up very well. And I was like, OK, maybe I can do it. So that's how I stepped into the VR world. OK, OK. So maybe you could talk a bit about this project and how this project and this topic came about, the things that you're focusing on with the title of Objects and Memory and Home.
[00:05:37.985] Kent Bye: I often mention this in other interviews,
[00:05:44.246] Sunghwan Lee: One thing, I mentioned this several times before, but when I was starting to work on this project, mentally I was not in a sound state actually. And you could kind of tell that in the piece. It's kind of rough and all those kind of things. You could kind of feel what kind of state I was in at the time. But the thing that I really wanted to focus on is the traction that the virtual space gives you in the VR world. That was one very important thing that I was taking with me when I started this project. And I think it was a very good medium and means to record the environment that I experienced in the past and the environment that I'm experiencing right now. And everything, you know, is just in my head and including, you know, my old house that I used to live in and my dad's space that he used to have, you know, all of those things were inside of my head. And rather than just recording, you know, in words or in pictures or anything like that, I thought this would be very good medium to make records of the space, you know, every little detail. You can almost be in that space yourself and experience the space and the environment and the details and the objects that were in the rooms. So I was almost obsessed with all those little details that used to be in those rooms and the spaces. So that was one thing that I really wanted to focus on when making this piece. This piece is a lot about the connection between objects and memories. And maybe you could explain the Korean word that's in the title of this piece and what that means. So Lee Hyang Jung in the title, it literally means a house with two cedar trees. Because the two cedar trees are planted in the house. So it's the name of the 300 year old house that my dad owns. And the house, the Lee Hyang Jung house itself has different portions in that one big house. So the wooden porch that I explained in my piece, another name in Korean is called Sarangchae. So each portion of the house has its own name. You know, I couldn't really go into the details, you know, in my documentary because it'd be too long. But, you know, all those little spaces, different spaces within one house has different memories. And all those shells, so to call, have different memories for me. And the precious objects that I used to own, or I own right now, or the Ihyangjeong, or the little house that I used to live in, or many other spaces, you know, that really holds different memories for me. And I explained in Ihyangjeong that house is like a vessel that holds your memories. The memories that you have of each object that you own, that are precious to you, the collection of it is your house. Because all of that goes into one space, right? That's your house. So to all the audiences that came to see my yi hang zheng, I gifted them a miniature house. And I told them that this house connects you and me by giving you this memory, the vessel of memory. And I hope you really cherish those memories between you and me and my own memory in this little house. So, you know, I think that explains well the thoughts that went into creating each objects and the spaces in Leehyangjeong. Yeah, and your piece is exploring your own journey with your home and different phases of that, both in the past and the present and the future, starting with being in what looks like to be a basement apartment that reminded me of the film Parasite, where the toilet is up on stairs that I don't see that very often here in the United States. So it reminded me of that, but then There's some scenes of some desks and other objects, but then you move eventually to your father's home in the past where you spent a lot of time. And then you show this transition moment where it's like a fusion of buildings that are going up and down and it's just like a floating abstraction of a house. And then eventually you find a plot of land and you start to design and build your own house. And so this piece is like a journey of home for you. And so just love to hear you expand upon these different phases of home that you're exploring in this piece. So the first phase of the movie where you see myself in those like basement homes actually like semi basement but it's something very similar to what you see in the movie Parasite and it's actually quite common for young people in Korea to live in those kind of spaces because it's the cheapest space you can live in in an expensive city like Seoul or any other busy cities in Korea and you know it's it's okay to live in those spaces because you know when you're young you spend more time outside so not having all those sunlights doesn't really matter and you know that's why like a lot of my friends who work with us at studio shelter prefer to have offices where we have like a good sunlight because they spend a lot of time in those sub-basement spaces But in that space and the basement area, what I really wanted to get to was I just put everything that I didn't like about that space, every bad experiences that I had in those spaces, I put it in that face. And I thought that part of the piece has to be really well-made in order to justify why I want to build my own space with my own memories. So I put a lot of time and effort into creating that space and that portion of the Leehyangjeong. And you know when I first made that part of the piece and showed it to my colleagues, you know it had like roaches and it had flies and it had like you know mice and you know like a lot of like The female colleagues, they were like, oh, that's disgusting, you know, like and I thought, OK, this is well made because they can really feel the hatred that I had towards that space. And as I move on to the future and, you know, think about my dad's space and that gets mixed into my own memories. And, you know, I was thinking about, OK, I want to build my own house like this or like that. You know, I was kind of like thinking of that in my head. And the one point that I want my audience to take away from that is like the very complex, the housing, the building, like the fusion, like you explained, you know, like ups and downs of the buildings and houses and like different forms of the houses and, you know, how they came to be. And all those came and i really want the audience to know that i spent a lot of time creating that because it's just the collection of that very chaotic thoughts that i had while thinking about how to build my house and what should go into my own house and you know i had a lot of good references you know like a lot of good examples of houses that people build but you know when i was looking through them I don't really feel it was for me, like it didn't really suit me, like it wasn't a space for me. So, you know, I was thinking about and imagining what this space should be and like I really want the audience to know while they're living in a space they don't really fit into and thinking about what their future homes should look like. I wanted to share that entire process, from least favorite space to my own place where I feel it and call it a home. I really wanted to share that entire process and for me, I gave up the city life pretty early phase in my life. But to some people, they'll spend more time in the cities and then realize later on their life, you know, maybe this isn't for me and would want to go to the countryside or to like a less busy city. And when they think about, you know, like, okay, what kind of home do I want to live in? Or what kind of house do I want to live in? It could be quite daunting, you know, thinking about what should be going into those space that I could call it my own. And I kind of wanted to be a help to that process. You know, I wanted to give them comfort that it wasn't only you. And it's not only you that had the difficulties to create your own space where you can call it a home, where you feel comfortable. And I wanted to give them information, comfort, and the story that I experienced myself to creating my own home. So that's just that entire process that I really wanted to share with the audience. Yeah, one of the strengths of the virtual reality medium I see is to be able to show architecture and to show buildings. And what was striking to me about this piece in a lot of ways is that you're showing aspects of Korean culture, whether it's, you know, these basement apartments that you were living in or more traditional architecture of your father's that has a different look and feel than what the types of buildings that I see here in the United States. Just love to hear some of your reflections on using the virtual reality medium to be able to capture aspects of your Korean culture and to be able to share within your own memories, but also share with the wider world. Yeah, so I think, you know, everyone feels the strength of the VR differently. You say you think one of the good aspects is, you know, it can show the entire architecture of the building. But for me, it was more of like a recording medium, right? So I wanted to record what I was experiencing, the memories that I had. And when I was drawing the spaces in the 3D drawing, I really wanted to be very, very detail-oriented and express every little detail that I could possibly express through this drawing. And I think in that process, the cultural aspect was just naturally seeped in and got mixed into the Lee Hyung Jung itself. And that whole process was just me wanting to share my journey from a busy urban city life to the countryside, less busy city. And I think, you know, a lot of people could relate to that life as well. And like my reasons behind why moving from busy city to lesser busy area. And I heard, you know, coming here, South by Southwest, I heard, like, in Texas, in big cities, they also experience similar things to live in, you know, like downtown Austin or downtown whatever. It's very expensive, and due to the cost of living, people kind of move out from those busy areas. Although it's a problem of choice, for younger people to live in those areas, it's very hard. And that's the same thing that I experienced as well. So in that way, I think the Korean culture and the housing problems can be related to what people here experience. But first and foremost, I really wanted to just record this Lee Hyang Jung, my dad's place, and leave it as a digital record. And also introduce that and share that with other people. But first and foremost, I just really wanted to leave a record of that place. And you know, it's same with every old houses, but you know, every time I visit there, every year I visit there, you know, there's some kind of problem, right? Like something is breaking. So, unless you continuously manage the place well, the place will eventually crumble and fade away. And the village that Lee Hyang-jung is part of, it's called Yang-dong village, was designated as like a national folklore, like a heritage by UNESCO. So, they've been better at maintaining and upkeeping that place and the entire village a little bit. But, you know, nothing lasts forever. So, eventually things will fade away. people will forget things, you know. So I really wanted to just make a record of what this place was like, what it was for, who lived here and you know just like entire sentiment that went into that place. So I think all of that like mixed feelings were conveyed to the audience and in all of that just entire cultural aspect kind of naturally went into it. Okay. I'd love to hear some of your experiences of animating within VR and the differences between working outside of VR in a 2D frame and 2D animation versus being immersed within VR and creating the world around you.
[00:18:43.159] Kent Bye: Actually, in VR,
[00:18:49.043] Sunghwan Lee: Yeah, so like I said before, it's my first time doing a VR project and I think creating something new from scratch and the pain that accompanies with those creation process, it's similar from the 2D animation and the 3D VR. creation process for example for 2d animation you have a canvas you have like a white canvas with nothing on it and you have to start drawing something to create something but for vr you have like a blank space right and from that you have to create something and the stress and the pain that comes with it was very similar to what i experienced in the 2d animation world so in that sense it was very similar but what it was different is that in the 2d animation world There are spaces to hide stuff because the audience can only see what you show them. But in the 3D world, they can see everything. When they turn back, they can see the back of the building. You know, when they go that way, they can see, you know, like a lot of other details. So that's why I spent really like a lot of time trying to put all the details possible. And, you know, that really made the file big. But in that sense, it was different that I couldn't hide anything. Everything was revealed in 3D space, unlike the 2D space. And when I was graduating, my graduation project was actually a stop motion piece. I actually have two of it. And when I was working on the stop motions, adjusting spaces in the figures, that really helped a lot with this 3D project. So I think that was a good experience that I had. Yeah. And because you're featuring your father's home in this piece, have you had a chance to show this piece to your father and what was his thoughts about it? Yeah, so I did show it to my dad. Like I said in Lee Hyung Jung, he's very conservative and he's very picky kind of person. and I couldn't show him the final final version but I showed him the version that was just before the final version and when I showed it to him and because he knows the space so well he'd be like oh why isn't this there why isn't that there and so you know he was like picking out things that were missing in this space but to me you know he doesn't say much about me and like you know he doesn't really make a lot of comments but you know him making those kind of comments even though it wasn't like explicitly a compliment It came to me as a compliment so it made me quite happy. And finally, what do you think the ultimate potential of virtual reality might be and what it might be able to enable? So when I was first starting this VR project, I watched a lot of interviews done by other artists. And one of the artists mentioned that when you put on a VR equipment, there is like an undeniable attraction that kind of like a black hole that you can't come out of. And I felt the same thing. And I think there is enormous potential to this VR world and what it can do. Because in the virtual world, there's no specific purpose to it. The purpose that you make becomes a purpose in the virtual reality world. So for me, I just focused on one thing, which is my favorite thing, which is to record. But I think later on, as I get more used to this whole world and how I work with this VR world, I think I can expand this and how I use the VR world to create my space. And what I felt is that You know, we have all these very cutting-edge technologies and like the equipments to use in the VR world, but to create that was very manual, old-school style. So, you know, mixing those two ways and the methods together, you know, very old-school and the cutting-edge technology, it was very new and it was very fascinating for me. And, you know, for me, I am still not quite used to the whole VR equipment in the system. You know, like, in my own realm of work, I'm very used to it. But, you know, if I'm playing a game or, you know, when the Guardian gets broken or whatever, then it gets very unfamiliar territory for me. So I think the barrier is kind of high to get into the VR world, but I believe that barrier will get lower and lower. And as it gets approachable to more people in the general public, I think the potential that it can have and the things that it can do is really unimaginable. You know, just something that I can't even think about right now. And when that world comes, you know, I have high hopes for it. Yeah. Is there anything else left unsaid that you'd like to say to the broader immersive community? Yeah, so I kept going back to this, but I'm just starting in this VR world, so just doing this interview with you is a huge honor for me. And before I went to several other film festivals, like my stop-motion piece went to the ANSI International Festival, and There I met several other artists and we became good friends and stuff like that But you know, it's first time being in this entire VR world and I kind of feel out of place or kind of awkward you know being here just because I haven't been in this world for long and Coming to this international film festival, you know out of Korea. It's been a while since I've done that so It felt a little awkward, plus language barrier, but you know, the entire process just being here, being able to share my art, something that I created, especially that has my own story in it, and sharing that with other artists that have shared their own stories with it, you know, I think we just kind of connected and, you know, language at the time wasn't really that big of a problem because we connected through our own stories. So I think it was a good opportunity for me to grow and just expand my area where I work and whom I work with. So I really look forward to meeting other artists, things that I haven't seen, things that I haven't experienced, people I haven't met before. I just really look forward to exploring this whole new world. So I really hope we can, you know, be a good influences to each other. Yeah. Thank you. Yeah, and there's something about this piece where, because you are exploring your memories, and it does have an English subtitles and an English story, but there's still a spatial story of what you're telling that I think starts to transcend the language of being able to take us into different parts of your memories of the past, present, and future. And yeah, just really enjoyed the piece, and happy to—and also enjoyed being able to unpack it a bit with you today. So, thank you. It's been a while for me to come out to the rest of the world and talk about my own art with different kinds of people. And when I am creating these pieces, I try to talk to people to get new perspectives, but getting those stimulants is not very easy when you're actually working on it. And for me to come to, you know, film festivals like this, it's another story because you can submit your work, but to come here physically and spend time here and talk about your work and talk about work of other people, that's, you know, like an entire another process because you have to make time for it and there's just a whole lot that just goes into it. You know, this is a very rare opportunity, but I'm really happy that I got this opportunity. And I'm really honored to be interviewed by you and, you know, talking about my own work with you just kind of like organized a lot of thoughts, even within my own head. So thank you so much for this opportunity.
[00:27:01.021] Kent Bye: Awesome. Well, thank you so much. Thank you.
[00:27:05.903] Sunghwan Lee: So that was Sungwon Lee. He's the creator of Yeongjung, Carving with Memories, and that was translated by Abigail Jae. So I have a number of different takeaways about this interview is that, first of all, well, the thing that I'm really taking away is that more than anything else, Sungwon is trying to use the virtual reality medium to capture aspects of his memory and his experiences with home, living in the city and not being in the best of conditions, and then recalling all the memories of his father's home, which was in this space that It was very traditional, but also had all of these distinct Korean architecture. But it was also more in the rural area rather than the city. And then there's a depiction of these more abstract visions of the city, and then he eventually moves into his own home that he starts to create. So yeah, I was really struck by how as a 2d animator He's looking at a blank slate and just the same rather than a blank canvas He's looking at a completely blank space that he has to build around him and that he was really trying to focus on Aspects of his first apartment just to reflect that was his inner state so as he progresses on then he's eventually getting into the place where he's finding much more comfort into being out of the city into more of a rural space where you can build a place that is going to be a vessel for a lot of his memories. So yeah, just really enjoyed this piece. And I thought that the different architectural and cultural aspects that are able to be captured within the VR medium gets translated quite well. And yeah, just a nice simple story to be able to cover different aspects of memory and family and these objects. So in the second half, I'm actually going to having the Korean version. So So, that's all I have for today, and I just wanted to thank you for listening to the Voices of VR podcast. If you enjoy the podcast, then please do spread the word, tell your friends, and consider becoming a member of the Patreon. This is a listeners-apart podcast, and so I do rely upon donations from people like yourself in order to continue making this coverage. So you can become a member and donate today at patreon.com. Thanks for listening. And now, here is the second half of the conversation that is the Korean version. So, enjoy. So, why don't you go ahead and introduce yourself and tell me a bit about what you do in the realm of VR. First, I'd like to ask you to introduce yourself and briefly explain what you do in the world of VR.
[00:29:29.858] Kent Bye: I'm the director of Coming With Memories. I've never worked in VR before, and this is my first work in VR. I used to work at a 2D animation company, and I really like action and moving movements. I've been working on those kinds of works, It was my first time talking about my inner self, and it was also my first time telling a lyrical story, so I was very surprised at myself. That's it.
[00:30:10.272] Sunghwan Lee: Maybe you could give a bit more context as to your background and your journey into VR. Please explain more about the background and how you came to VR. What kind of background do you mean? Oh, like a professional background, like animation. Some people come from film, some people come from video games. So just trying to give a little bit more sense of if you have an architecture background. Some people are in the movie industry, some are in the VR industry, and some are in the video game industry. Can you tell us about your background? How did you get into the VR world?
[00:30:58.164] Kent Bye: As I said before, I work for a company based on 2D animation. It's called Studio Shelter. It's a well-known company based on 2D animation in Korea. I've never changed my job or my style. I loved animation when I was young, and I continued to do it until I got a job. I started a company, and it's a company that my friends and I started together. So I kept doing it like that, and then I suddenly switched to VR. Actually, I have friends who work in VR, I wasn't interested in how interesting it was. The equipment was uncomfortable, and I thought the equipment needed to be developed a little more, so it was a long way from me. Especially since I liked 2D animation, I had a strong sense of rejection towards 3D animation. At some point, when I first met Ki-yeo, our co-creator, So we thought it would be fun to work on a VR game together with Shelter. So we thought it would be fun to work on a VR game together with Shelter. So we thought it would be fun to work on a VR game together with Shelter. So we thought it would be fun to work on a VR game together with Shelter. So we thought it would be fun to work on a VR game together with Shelter. So we thought it would be fun to work on a VR game together with Shelter. So we thought it would be fun to work on a VR game together with Shelter. So we thought it would be fun to work on a VR game together with Shelter. So we thought it would be fun to work on a VR game together with Shelter. So we thought it would be fun to work on a VR game together with Shelter. So we thought it would be fun to work on a VR game together with Shelter. So we thought it would be fun to work on a VR game together with Shelter. So we thought it would be fun I've never done VR before, so I was wondering if I could do it. I thought I had to do it, but there was a problem with the house I was living in. I wanted to make it into a work of art one day. I told my colleagues about it. They told me it was very interesting, so I talked a lot about it that day. After talking about it once, I organized it myself. So I organized that part a little more and moved it to a work of art.
[00:33:26.181] Sunghwan Lee: Okay, okay. So maybe you could talk a bit about this project and how this project and this topic came about, the things that you're focusing on with the title of Objects and Memory and Home. I'd like you to explain more about this project. What did you want to focus on through this project? What objects or memories did you focus on while making it?
[00:33:56.096] Kent Bye: I often mention it in other interviews, but when I started this work, I wasn't in a good state of mind. Even now, it's true that the writing feels very rough. First of all, what I focused on was the space that VR genre has. The charm of virtual space came to my mind as a very important value. For me, it was a space where I could see the past and present, I thought it was a media that could record my environment. So, if you look at my work, it's gone now. It's gone now. It's a house I used to live in. Or the space of my father that I imagined. It may or may not be exactly the same as it is in reality, but I don't just remember it as a work or a painting. I went to that space and worked on it while being more obsessed with the details of what was here.
[00:35:17.226] Sunghwan Lee: Yeah, this piece is a lot about the connection between objects and memories. And maybe you could explain the Korean word that's in the title of this piece and what that means. When I saw this work, I felt that there was a lot of emphasis on the connection between objects and memories related to those objects. There are Korean words in the title, right? I'd appreciate it if you could explain what things and memories were related to those things and what the word Lee Yang-jung means to you.
[00:35:56.961] Kent Bye: Lee Hyang-jung is the name of my father's 300-year-old house. It's a house with two pine trees. I think I can explain it as a house. That's what it means. Actually, there's a house in there. There is a part of the house that has a separate name. In the case of the wooden porch that I introduced in the work, it is a house called Sarangchae, which has a different name. I couldn't explain it in detail because it was too long in the work. If you have a shell, you will have a different memory of each one. So, in the work, I keep introducing my precious things, and the space where the house is divided. For example, Lee Kyung-jung, my own room, or a virtual space. It's not real, but there will be various spaces. I told you that houses are a dish that contains memories. I think every object has a memory. I think a big part of that memory is a house. When I came to South by Southwest, I gave a small miniature house to the audience who came to see my works. I said that this object has the memory of you and me, and I hope you keep my memory. I think this is the answer to what I think about objects and spaces while working on this album.
[00:38:08.153] Sunghwan Lee: Yeah, and your piece is exploring your own journey with your home, and different phases of that, both in the past, and the present, and the future. If you look at the work, you can see the past, the present, and the future. You can see things that go beyond time and space. When I first started, I started at a semi-basement house in Parasite. In the U.S., it's not a common sight to see a toilet in a high place. In the U.S., it's not a common sight to see a toilet in a high place. In the U.S., it's not a common sight to see a toilet in a high place. In the U.S., it's not a common sight to see a toilet in a high place. In the U.S., it's not a common sight to see a toilet in a high place. In the U.S., it's not a common sight to see a toilet in a high place. In the U.S., it's not a common sight to see a toilet in a high place. In the U.S., it's not a common sight to see a toilet in a high place. In the U.S., it's not a common sight to see a toilet in a high place. In the U.S., it's not a common sight to see a toilet in a high place. In the U.S., it's not a common sight to see And in the transition scene, there are buildings, forests, up and down. In the end, you drew a journey to create your own space. What did you want to express in the past, present, and future spaces?
[00:39:23.176] Kent Bye: First of all, Banjiya, the low-floor space, is a space that many young people have been through in Korea. It's the cheapest place. When I was young, I didn't have to worry about the sun. I've been living like that for a long time. So my friends at the shelter prefer a place with a lot of sunlight. I think I've explained this too much. The first half-basement space in Parasite was a place where I collected all the bad things that I hated. I thought that this space should be expressed better so that the basis for the process of going to the future would be clear. I spent a lot of time imagining that space. There were flies, cockroaches, and rats flying around. When I first made this and showed it to my colleagues, they hated it. So I thought it was well-made. In the process of making it and moving on to the future, I wanted to follow my father's memories and mix them with my father's memories to make my future home. There is a scene that I wanted you to see as a point. There is a scene where the house is complicated. It took a long time to make that scene. As a 2D animator, I've never imagined such a huge combination of buildings. I decided to build a new house in that scene. I looked for references, and there were a lot of examples of good houses, but none of them fit me. So I used images of the complex thoughts I had about the house in my head. What I expect from people who watch my work is that they can see that I used to live in a place that I didn't like when I was young, and that they can slowly go through these worries and go to the point where they want to build a new house. I would like to share my thoughts with you. I want to leave the city as soon as possible. But some people may take a little longer. I think they'll have similar experiences as I do. So I hope my work can be helpful to those people. And if I can give them information like someone told me, I think they'll be comforted. At first, it was so hard to plan how to make a house. I think that's the answer.
[00:43:14.930] Sunghwan Lee: Yeah, one of the strengths of the virtual reality medium I see is to be able to show architecture and to show... In my opinion, one of the advantages of VR is that you can not only show a fragment of a building, but you can also show the whole building. And in this work, you can show the culture of living space in Korea, such as semi-basement or two-story buildings. It's a very traditional look, but it's a very different culture from the building culture that we experience in the United States. So, while making this work with VR, I heard that you shared cultural and personal memories. I'd appreciate it if you could tell us what you wanted to show the American people culturally.
[00:44:12.708] Kent Bye: As I was working on VR, I realized that VR is just a technical format. I think everyone has their own charm. Especially when I was working on this album, I approached it with the concept of a record. At first, I was doing 3D drawing in that space, I wanted to make the space more detailed. That's how I approached it. I think that's how the cultural aspect of it naturally came together. In a way, I think it's because of the tight financial situation in the city I think it's a very natural phenomenon that people leave the city and dream of church life. But I don't think it's just my problem. It's something that a lot of my friends are going through. I heard that there's a similar problem in Texas, where South by Southwest is being held. If you want to live in a city or a hot place, you have to pay a lot of money. It's a matter of choice, but young people The way to live in the city is to live in a semi-basement room. I think it was a natural explanation of the complicated situations. But on the other hand, As I was introducing Lee Hang-jung's father's house, I wanted to make the space digital and own it. I also wanted to introduce it to people. I visit this house every year, but every time I go, there's a problem. If you don't take care of it, it will disappear. Of course, the village in Iyangjeong is designated as Yangdong Village by UNESCO. It's been designated and managed a little bit, but I don't think it's permanent. Even if I can't touch this someday, I'd love to hear some of your experiences of
[00:47:38.722] Sunghwan Lee: I'd like to change the subject a little bit. You said you've been working in 2D animation. Could you tell us about your experience working in the VR world? Actually, it was my first time in a VR space, but I thought it would be similar to any other space.
[00:47:50.812] Kent Bye: I feel the same way about people who work in VR. There is a white paper called canvas. We draw a picture in a blank canvas. There is a white space in the canvas, and I draw something in that space. I was under a lot of stress when I was drawing in that space. It was very difficult for me to draw a single dot. I thought it was the same. But when I was doing 2D animation, I've done this a lot, so there were a lot of corners to hide, but now that I'm moving in 3D, I can't hide it anymore. If you look at the back like this, you can see it. If there's a object in the middle, you can see it if you turn it like this. I've had the desire to turn it all around and make it more detailed, so I've had the desire to turn it all around and make it more detailed, so I've had the desire to turn it all around and make it more detailed, There was a stop-motion work that I did as a graduate work. Coincidentally, I have two stop-motion works. I think the space and the experience of moving the figures worked well here.
[00:49:32.916] Sunghwan Lee: And because you're featuring your father's home in this piece, have you had a chance to show this piece to your father? And what was his thoughts about it? The Lee Yang-jung space itself is my father's space and my father's house. Did you show this work to your father? And if your father saw it, what was his reaction?
[00:49:51.988] Kent Bye: As I mentioned in the film, my father is a very conservative and picky person. Before I came to Korea, I thought about how my father would react. Why isn't this here? When my father saw Lee Hang-jung's space, he said, Why isn't this here? I felt like he was complimenting me for saying that. He doesn't usually say that, so I was happy to hear that.
[00:50:35.323] Sunghwan Lee: And finally, what do you think the ultimate potential of virtual reality might be, and what it might be able to enable? Lastly, I'd like to hear what the director thinks about the potential of VR worlds and VR works. I'd like to hear the director's opinion. What do you think are the potentials of VR?
[00:51:02.238] Kent Bye: Actually, when I first started working on VR, I saw some interviews with other artists, and one of the writers wrote this. When I first used VR equipment, I felt an irresistible attraction. I felt that way, too. I think there's a huge possibility of what we can do with this. I've scored a point on the record, but I don't think there's anything we can do in the virtual world. The virtual space is a space without a purpose, so I think you can just make your own purpose. I have a record of my favorite part, but I think I can expand the area with something more interesting someday. What I personally feel is that it's a very interesting experience for me because I'm painting with the latest equipment in an old-fashioned way. I'm not used to the equipment yet. In the program I use, I move freely, but when I play a game with it, If the guard breaks, it's a virtual area. If it breaks, it's a virtual area. If it breaks, it's a virtual area. If it breaks, it's a virtual area. If it breaks, it's a virtual area. If it breaks, it's a virtual area. If it breaks, it's a virtual area. If it breaks, it's a virtual area. If it breaks, it's a virtual area. If it breaks, it's a virtual area. If it breaks, it's a virtual area. If it breaks, it's a virtual area. If it breaks, it's a virtual area. If it breaks, it's a virtual area. If it breaks, it's a virtual area. If it breaks, it's a virtual area. If it breaks, it's a virtual area. If it breaks, it's a virtual area. If it breaks, it's a virtual area. If it breaks, it's a virtual area. If it breaks, it's a virtual area. If it breaks, it's a virtual area. If it breaks
[00:53:13.625] Sunghwan Lee: Is there anything else left unsaid that you'd like to say to the broader immersive community?
[00:53:34.538] Kent Bye: Actually, I'm a total beginner, so I'm very grateful for the interview. Before this, I was invited to do animation with stop-motion works. I met the writers, became friends, and shared my work with them. It was my first time working with VRs, so it's been a while since I've been to an international film festival. It was a little awkward. I'm not good at English, but I came to the same event and shared my work. In a way, my work is an inner story. Some writers share their inner stories and my inner stories. I feel like I've become closer than just a language barrier, and I feel like I'm expanding and growing. I'm so happy to see them and I want to meet more people who have worked on works that I haven't seen yet. If I meet them again, I'm looking forward to the situation where I can change and influence them.
[00:55:04.703] Sunghwan Lee: As you said, this film is about his inner stories and memories. There are English subtitles in the film, but it's a film about his experience of space. I felt that there was something that transcended language. It was great to experience the space of the director's past, present, and future together. It was great to be able to talk about the work in more detail today. Thank you.
[00:55:41.157] Kent Bye: It's been a long time since I've talked to people about my work. It's been a long time since I've talked to people about my work. It's been a long time since I've talked to people about my work. It's been a long time since I've talked to people about my work. It's been a long time since I've talked to people about my work. It's been a long time since I've talked to people about my work. It's been a long time since I've talked to people about my work. It's been a long time since I've talked to people about my work. It's been a long time since I've talked to people about my work. It's been a long time since I've talked to people about my work. It's been a long time since I've talked to people about my work. It's been a long time since I've talked to people about my work. It's been a long time since I've talked to people about my work. It's been a long time since I've talked to people about my work. Awesome, well thank you so much. Thank you.
[00:56:31.700] Sunghwan Lee: So that was Sungwon Lee. He's the creator of Yeongjong, Carving with Memories, and that was translated by Abigail Jae. So that's all I have for today, and I just wanted to thank you for listening to the Voices of VR podcast. And if you enjoy the podcast, then please do spread the word, tell your friends, and consider becoming a member of the Patreon. This is a listeners-apart podcast, and so I do rely upon donations from people like yourself in order to continue making this coverage. So you can become a member and donate today at patreon.com slash voicesofvr. Thanks for listening.
