Brief

I was presented with a unique opportunity to design an interactive wooden sound installation for a multimedia exhibition fundraiser organized by the Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights (NKHR). The exhibition was designed to shed light on children’s rights issues in North Korea, showcasing artwork created by North Korean refugees that illustrated their arduous journey to freedom. This case study will take you through my process of building the installation, from developing the concept to creating and assembling the final product.

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About the Organization

Founded in South Korea in 1996, the Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights is one of the oldest non-profit organizations (NGO) committed to promoting and protecting human rights in North Korea. The organization engages in advocacy, awareness campaigns, and humanitarian efforts to address human rights challenges faced by North Korean citizens. The NGO also helps defectors assimilate into South Korean society. 

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My Contributions

My original role as a volunteer was to help the organization plan and execute a multimedia exhibition and fundraiser focused on shedding light on North Korean children’s rights issues. The exhibition would showcase artwork created by North Korean refugees, illustrating their difficult journey to freedom. While I helped organize the exhibition, including curating the gallery space, managing media relations, and planning the fundraising campaigns, I was also given the opportunity to build my own art installation piece for the exhibition to help elucidate the stories behind the refugees’ artwork.

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Developing the Concept

The organization wanted to build an installation that the audience could interact with and learn about the intentions behind each art piece in the exhibition. The challenge was to build and assemble the installation to fill the vacant central space of the gallery without diverting the attention away from the primary artwork displayed on the walls.

My initial concept (sketch A) involved using a ceiling projector to showcase a video and audio recording of the refugees explaining their artwork, which would be projected onto the floor. However, I discarded this idea because I didn’t think it would foster enough engagement.

After exploring various concept iterations, I decided to construct six sound installation boxes (sketch B), creating a sense of community and allowing the audience to freely move around each box while listening to an audio recording of the refugees. Each box would have a different audio recording playing on loop, providing insight into the meaning behind each artwork. The audience would have to take turns leaning into the box to hear the audio, establishing a more intimate setting.

Design Considerations

I planned the components of the installation, including the shape, size, aesthetics, and audio. I decided to create multiple free-standing, rectangular-shaped boxes made out of wood with punctured holes for the sound. I aimed for the height of the boxes to be tall enough to ensure the audience could comfortably lean in and listen to the audio recordings. I also designed a couple of shorter boxes, suitable for adults and children to sit on during the gallery events.

Materials & Tools

I decided to use plywood sheets for the structure of the installation as it was the most cost-effective option! I sourced the materials, created digital designs for the sound holes and text stencils, and scouted a woodshop.

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Building & Assembly

I cut 24 wooden panels for the main installation structure and drilled holes into six panels for the sound. I also made sure to leave a small hatch at the bottom of six more panels to insert the speakers for the audio system. 

Once we cut and sanded down the wood panels, we transported them to the gallery for on-site assembly since the boxes wouldn’t have fit through the doors. We all worked together to paint and stencil the text onto the boxes–it was the best part of the experience!

I used a sound player to connect the recordings of the refugee artists to the wireless speakers. I tested the audio system to fine-tune the placement of the speakers for optimal sound distribution.

Final Product & Learnings

The fundraiser was a huge success with the installations garnering tremendous attraction throughout the exhibition. We raised over 30% of the projected fund amount. This unique experience allowed me to discover new skill sets, including woodwork and spatial experience design.

A few additional learnings from this experience:

• Be thoughtful intentional with every design decision you make
• Test and observe the audience as there’s always room for improvement 
• Safety comes first, especially when working in a woodshop 😉