- 96.7 MHz
- Sound Sculpture (2023), Aluminum, Steel, Tactile Transducer, Wire, Amplifier.
- For the past seventy years, the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) has served as a buffer zone between South and North Korea, where all military activities are prohibited, yet both sides have conducted a sonic war of propaganda through loudspeakers installed in the DMZ. DMZ-based loudspeakers broadcast a variety of information, from weather forecasts and propaganda songs, reaching as far as 24 kilometres (15 miles) south of the ceasefire line. Intrigued by this sound—at a distance—perceived as echoes of noises or vibrational signals, I aimed to undertake the task of re-creating the experience of listening to these vibrational forces.
- The installation of two loudspeakers facing against each other serves as a metaphor for the polarity of the ongoing conflict between North and South. The sound piece uses frequencies and noises from the radio propaganda broadcasts of both countries at 96.7 MHz, distorted and merged to produce a continuous, never-ending stream of sound. In North Korea, Radio Pyongyang operates primarily for Koreans in South Korea, Japan, and China, broadcasting from the Moranbong district of Pyongyang at 96.7 MHz. Conversely, in South Korea, KFN FM (also known as Gukpang FM) serves as the Military National Defense Radio Broadcast, utilizing the same 96.7 MHz frequency. The loudspeakers vibrate the history of propaganda accumulated into two-hour soundtrack, creating a sound that, while emanating from both sides, becomes indistinguishable from each other, turning intended messages into mere noise. The essence of their propaganda vanishes into the abyss of sonic warfare. This collision of frequencies not only reflects the physical divide of the 38th parallel but also demarcates an invisible DMZ within the gallery space, illustrating the paradox of war and representation. The sound piece, by making the human voice and politics central through radio frequencies, challenges the listener to reflect on the essence of communication in the context of ongoing conflict and the blurred lines between the realities of war and the artistic expression of those realities.
- The sculptures are handcrafted by the artist, drawing directly from the designs of loudspeakers used by both South and North Korea—cone-shaped for the South and trapezoidal for the North.
- Length: 2-hour loop.
- Video documentation: Miles Rufelds