"KNIT a Network! Role Model Roundtable" is a project that invites various guests involved in the world of science and research, and interviews them to talk about their lives, work, and more.
The 11th session, held on Thursday, December 3rd, featured a presentation by Hyun-Jung Park, a specially appointed assistant professor at the Hokkaido University Institute for the Advancement of Higher Education (CoSTEP), titled "What it means for an artist to work at Hokkaido University."
After studying art at a university in South Korea, the professor came to Japan, completed a doctoral program (in fine arts) at a Japanese university, and was appointed as a specially appointed assistant professor at our university's CoSTEP program. She loves Japanese culture and movies, and was intrigued by the fact that the methods of expression are completely different depending on the era and genre, which made her wonder, "What is Japan?!" This was the reason she came to Japan.
We received many questions from our viewers, such as, "What efforts and strategies do you use to secure your position as both an artist and a researcher, such as fundraising and networking?" and "What do you find rewarding in your daily work, and what is your vision for the future?"
We are truly grateful to Professor Park for sharing so many anecdotes and encouraging words based on his thoughts at the time. We also received applications and participation from over 20 people, not only from within our university but also from Kitami Institute of Technology and Muroran Institute of Technology. Thank you very much.
Please see the "Report" below for the rest of the story.
The next KNIT a Network! Researcher Exchange Meeting is scheduled for January 2021. We will be announcing the details on our website soon, and we look forward to your participation!
Report
Held during the Interdisciplinary Meetup Week 2020 from November 30th to December 4th, this event was presented as a Meetup Week Special!! The roundtable discussion took place in a special location: "Anoonshitsu," a greenhouse built in 1973 within the university's Sapporo Research Forest. "Anoonshitsu" is also the name of Professor Park's project.
Professor Park, who fell in love at first sight with the architectural style of the time and the greenhouse that had long been used as a research field, is now carrying out an art project in this location. The broadcast was surrounded by beautiful plants.
The talk began with a discussion of a video work that Professor Park created during his student days, titled "Talking About Others' Gazes."
The impetus for creating this work came from a question that Professor Park had regarding the graphic images of terrorism and war that we began to see in our daily lives after September 11, 2001: "Can we truly experience and understand the feelings of those involved through the images broadcast on the media?" So, he began by interviewing other people to get their opinions, and ultimately created a work that combines works by other artists that depict war in a different way, images of war broadcast on the media, and "shadows" that convey the "voices" and gestures spoken in the interviews, all within a single space.
This film was invited to be screened at the Seoul International Women's Film Festival, which gave the director a surprising and moving experience, realizing what it truly means to share your work with the world. The film was also screened in Africa, and the director found it fascinating to see how films made in different countries can be interpreted differently in other countries.
Ms. Park, who is active in the world of artistic expression, shared the roots of her own artistic aspirations, saying that her mother was also an artist (ceramics), which instilled in her a desire to create things herself and a deep respect for the people and things that create them.
However, when Professor Park chose "art" as his major in university, his mother, contrary to expectations, opposed it. Her reason was that she knew how tough the art world could be. After this back-and-forth regarding his career path, Professor Park decided to major in "film" within the arts. His family was relieved because studying film would give him options such as working for a broadcasting station or other general company.
However, after completing his fourth year of university, Professor Park decided not to take a job and instead considered pursuing graduate studies to further hone his artistic expression.
She says that when it comes to future options, she doesn't choose from several options, but rather selects one that she somehow clearly sees coming. When choosing her career path after graduating from university, she decided to pursue further education based on her desire to see an unknown world! While searching for a place to study, she felt that a Japanese graduate school (research lab) was the place where she could fulfill her desire to learn and see what she wanted to know! That's why the option of enrolling in a Japanese graduate school became clear to her.
Anecdote: Professor Park mentioned that while he was exposed to classic Japanese films, 1970s Japanese rock music, and Japanese variety shows, he became fascinated by the breadth of Japanese visual expression, wondering, "What is this all about?!"
Professor Park spoke about how difficult it was to come to Japan because she didn't understand the language, but she also reflected that she was able to approach the Korean language from a new perspective, create stories about the forms and sounds of the Korean language, and discover things that would become the basis of her own culture, background, and values.
The Q&A session moved along rather quickly as we heard many stories, but we were able to get answers to three questions.
In response to a question from a participant, "What efforts and strategies do you employ to secure your position as both an artist and a researcher? For example, fundraising, networking, reporting your achievements, etc.?", Professor Park, who earned her degree through the practical skills of creating artwork, said that she wanted to become someone who could talk about the works and spaces she created, and that she aimed to be able to write papers, conduct research, and create artwork. Regarding her network, she said that she often gets introduced to other artists through her artwork activities, and it expands naturally. On the other hand, working at the university allows her to meet people who don't usually work in the art world, and she said that this has become her strength, allowing her to expand her unique community. Within this context, she said that she likes her current identity as an "ambiguous person" and a "slightly eccentric person," and that she consciously tries to maintain it, and that the questions she asks from the perspective that emerges from this are also part of the message of her artwork.
When asked, "What do you find rewarding about your daily work, and what is your vision for the future?", she said that in terms of education, teaching the practical aspects and world of contemporary art is challenging, but she finds fulfillment in presenting an entry point to the world of art and hearing stories of people whose lives have been changed or who have added a layer of art to their lives.
When creating artwork, I felt a sense of accomplishment when I created something newer and more interesting than what I had done before, and I also felt a sense of fulfillment when I received comments from others.
When asked, "As one of the few artists affiliated with a comprehensive university, I imagine there were times when you felt conflicted, but what was the moment when you accepted yourself and felt glad to be here?", he joked, "I'm just glad I haven't been fired yet (laughs)!" He added that the appeal of being here lies in being able to do practical work and create art that can only be done at Hokkaido University. He explained that strongly promoting local culture means that simply communicating that he is here, at this time, becomes a practical experience and achievement that will lead to future opportunities. He said that it is difficult to define what it means to be "accepted," but in terms of evaluation criteria, his work is being recognized as an achievement, he has started receiving design consultations, and he feels that there is a growing trend towards being more conscious of art. He also said that he finds fulfillment and future challenges through these experiences.
This concluded the role model roundtable discussion, and a free-flowing conversation between Professor Park and Ree-D's Fujii, who served as the interviewer, began before the start of the Researcher Communication Salon. Questions were also received from the participants, and the discussion continued in a relaxed atmosphere during lunchtime. Almost all of the participants also watched the Researcher Communication Salon. Thank you very much, Professor Park and all the participants.
The report on the Researcher Communication Salon is as follows:CLICK HEREFor more infomtions.
