25.06 – 29.09.2024
Leeum Museum of Art
Seoul, South Korea
Aerocene Seoul has joined the international Aerocene community’s movement, striving for an era where everyone can live and breathe freely.
To share Aerocene’s visions and messages, the Leeum Museum of Art presents Aerocene Seoul, a three-month trans-regional public project that connects Aerocene communities across South Korea as part of its programme ‘Idea Museum’, featuring community activities such as Museo Aero Solar, Aerocene Backpack Workshop, and discursive forums.
Museo Aero Solar
For Aerocene Seoul, stories of ecosocial and political imaginaries have been woven together, joining Museo Aero Solars from Argentina, Thailand and South Korea, to form a vast canvas that carries messages of hope and resistance from around the world.
Notes and drawings supporting the fight for democracy and free public education have been carried from the Museo built by students at the Universidad de Buenos Aires and the Escuela Puerta Abierta, Argentina. From the Chiang Rai Biennale in Thailand, ideas towards more just political structures have been shared.
And, in collaboration with various communities in Yongsan-gu, messages of care and change reflecting environmental concerns have been depicted across the Museo, composed of more than 5,000 plastic bags that were collected in Seoul this past summer.
Through more than 40 workshops, participants engaged in assembling these diverse stories into a growing patchwork that currently measures more than 1200 square metres. An enduring process, this canvas will continue to expand with each community that comes into contact with it, and each reused plastic bag joined… moving towards resilient possible futures.
Aerocene Backpack
Collaborating with prominent regional museums in Seoul, Gwangju, Gyeonggi, Daegu, Daejeon, Busan, Suwon, and Jeju, several Aerocene Backpack Workshops invited participants to come together around this poetic tool for imagining a new era without fossil fuels and new ways of decarbonizing the atmosphere. Providing a message of simplicity, community members were also invited to write messages towards change and hope on the sculpture.
The first workshop was held at the Daegu Art Museum, and the chosen slogan was “No More Apple in Daegu.” The participants discussed the topic and settled on the message after considering the regional situation. Apple cultivation has shifted northward from Daegu to Gangwon-do and other areas, causing farmers to migrate to continue growing apples.
Meanwhile, both the Museum of Contemporary Art Busan (MoCA Busan) and the Jeju Museum of Contemporary Art focused on rivers and water. Eulsukdo Ecological Park, where MoCA Busan is located, is widely recognized as a migratory bird site downstream of the Nakdong River. The slogan “Our Water, Home for All” was chosen to acknowledge that rivers and water serve as habitats for both humans and non-humans.
Participants in the Jeju Museum of Contemporary Art workshop created the message “Heart of the Wind, Eyes of the Future.” Jeju Island is known as Samdado (meaning ‘Island of Three Abundances’) because of its abundance of “stones, wind, and women,” and the slogan was inspired by the fact that the wind leaves no trace, expressing the desire to keep the earth clean for future generations.
In the workshop at the Daejeon Museum of Art, where adolescents participated, the slogan “Our River Reflects Our Future” was chosen by comparing the river to a mirror and discussing how they can enhance their ecological awareness in their respective locations.
Aerocene Forum
The panel ‘Towards eco-social justice’ brought together voices around questions of environmental debt, modes of resistance, and the necessary conditions for a fair energy transition.
Aerocene Newspapers
Within the framework of Aerocene Seoul, Korean editions of Aerocene Newspaper I and II have been published. Printed copies were made available during the event, and digital PDFs are now accessible via the Aerocene Library. We thank the team at Leeum for all their work, ideas and collaboration to bring these editions to life!
Aerocene Newspaper I was originally published on the occasion of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, as part of the first step made by Aerocene. As a movement for eco-social justice, adrift on air, floating free from fossil fuels, lithium or hydrogen, Aerocene moves us towards an ethical re-alliance with the Earth and its cosmic web(s) of life.
The second issue emerged from a long-standing collaboration between the communities of the Salinas Grandes and Laguna de Guayatayoc with Aerocene and many other diverse and living collectives, over a number of gatherings that took place in 2017, 2020 and 2023.
Acknowledgements
Aerocene would like to thank Sungwon Kim and Helen Jungyeon Ku, with whom it has been a true pleasure and honour with which to collaborate on Aerocene Seoul. As well, thank you to Minjoo Lee, Hyunji Cho, Yeonah Lee, Taerim Kim, Jiwon Grace Kim and the whole Leeum Museum of Art team who were crucial in making this programme possible.
A heartfelt thank you to Seonhyoung Kim, Hanul Kim, Mignon Kim, Yiwon Song, Jihye Kim, Seonkyung Son, and Ye in Han, who have given their time and commitment to working on the campaign of collecting reused plastic bags, building a Museo Aero Solar, and leading an Aerocene Backpack Workshop
Thanks to Alice Studio Project, Jeonsan System, and Urban Collabo in helping us to make the Aerocene Seoul possible.
Thank you to the stories of eco-social and political imaginaries woven together on Museo Aero Solar from Argentina, Thailand, and South Korea to form a vast canvas that carries messages of hope and resistance from around the world. Through more than 40 workshops various communities in and around Yongsan-gu participants engaged in assembling these diverse stories into a patchwork that moves towards resilient possible futures.
From the Chiang Rai Biennale in Thailand Pitchapon Imm Keereekaew, Parn Nattida, Joaquin Ezcurra, Kitipatra Jude Tandikul, Anantaya Chanlertpaisal, Chris Chou, Lena Chang, Kantida Chaichana, Sirithorn Srichalakom, Pakchira Bow, Piroonmas Bo Kajorndechakul, Keerati Lilly Wuttiskulchai, Apiwat Thongyoun, and Tomás Saraceno, as well as Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai Rajabhat University, Chiang Rai Municipality School 5, Chiang Rai Provincial Administrative Organization School, Chiang Rai Vocational College, Singhaklai House, Bedtime Hostel, Lofi Cafe, Budashilp organisation, ThailandBiennale, Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, Thailand Ministry of Culture, and the Thailand Biennale curatorial team: Rirkrit Tiravanija, Gridthiya Gaweewong, Angkrit Ajchariyasophon, and Manuporn Luengaram.
From FADU UBA, Buenos Aires, Argentina, thank you to the FADU, UBA and all the National Universities of Argentina who joined in defence of public education, science and the national university system in the National University March on Tuesday, April 23, especially Lucía De Lisi, Graciela Del Pardo, Luisa Beltramo, Cristian Kisler, Mariano Acosta, Paulina Gramón Vidal, Marcelo Trapanese, Alba Maidana, Inés Rodriguez, Angélica Rudolf, and Rosana Mensi. As well for the unconditional support of the teaching team of the Goldenstein Project Chair, led by the tireless Flavia Goldenstein, together with the inexhaustible enthusiasm of Carlos Almeida and Joaquín Ezcurra, from the Museo Aero Solar and Aerocene communities.
And from Puerta Abierta, Buenos Aires, Argentina we would like to thank Joaquín Ezcurra, Maxi Laina, Carlos Almeida, Trixie Levy, Patri Gutman, Paula Schurman, Veronica Weisberg, Ana Williams, Vicky Chillado, Paola Salaberri, Giselle Bliman, Ma. Eugenia Martinez, Diego Divenosa, Carla Mier Torre, and the team of teachers for their great work to support the project. Families who joined: Carolina, Haku D’Ovidio’s mother; Eugenia and Fernando, Ivan Molina’s mother and father; Julia, mother of Nino Levacov Vilhena; Laura, mother of Sofi and Santi Bello; Laura, Olivia Sosa’s mother Lucia; Nico Bustos’s mother; Moira, Rochi Sandor’s mother; Karina, mother of Lorenzo Marin Muchevicz Paula and Gonzalo, mother and father of Juli Ramón; Romina, Vicente Bueno’s mother; Patricia, mother of Oliverio and Fidel Torrella Casares; Cecilia, Vera Rosenberg’s mother; Carla, mother of Ana Luz Ardalla Baglivo Luisina; mother of Jero and Emilia Freytes Mariana; mother of Toto and Lulo Aimaretti; Sabrina, Miranda and Leon’s mother; Giselle, mother of Liber and Teo Cura Suaya; Lourdes, Felipe Moreno’s mother; Andrés and Nadia, Teo Virzi’s mother and father; Viviana, mother of Ochi and Eloi Arrués; Maria Clara, mother of Pepi Mosquera Fernandez; Carolina, mother of Nika DAgostino Lital, mother of Ramiro Nicodemo; Cecilia, Ciro Marchese’s mother; Barbara, mother of Guadalupe Ehmke; Natalia, Simona Camilleri’s mother; Eugenia, mother of Balta, Clemen and Jero Sosa; Fernanda, mother of Dante and Milo Szulman; Iván and Luciana, father and mother of Santiago Lemesoff; and Marta Antonio, grandmother of Ana Luz.
Thank you also to all the communities who participated across the Aerocene Backpack workshops, writing together and flying messages of hope and action. Thanks to the Daegu Art Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art Busan (MoCA Busan), Jeju Museum of Contemporary Art, Daejeon Museum of Art, Suwon Museum of Art, Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art, Nam June Paik Art Center, Gwangju Museum of Art, and Buk-Seoul Museum of Art, for hosting space for these aerosolar bodies to lift up, floating free from fossil fuels, carried along the rivers of the wind.
For their time, energy and ideas towards fairer cycles of water, memory and life, thank you to the panellists of Aerocene Seoul: Verónica Chávez, Flavia Lamas, Juan Pablo Olsson Argumedo, and Matt Prewitt.
A heartfelt thanks to all the communities of Salinas Grandes and Laguna de Guayatayoc Basin, the Aerocene and Museo Aero Solar communities, Action Collective for Ecosocial Justice, the Mirá Socio-environmental Collective, the Geopolitics and Commons Study Group, the Environment and Natural Resources Foundation, the Argentine Association of Environmental Lawyers, and the Ecosocial and Intercultural Pact of the South.
To Joaquín Ezcurra and Maximiliano Laina, who have given their time and heartfelt commitment to the Aerocene and have brought its stories to life in Fly with Pacha, into the Aerocene. To Maristella Svampa, for her participation in the Aerocene gatherings and for enabling many of the alliances that give strength to this movement for ecosocial justice. Thank you!
Fairclouds is initiated with the communities of Salinas Grandes and Laguna de Guayatayoc in Jujuy, Argentina, for freeing cycles of water, memory and life as part of a just eco-social transition. The project has been developed in collaboration with Aerocene Foundation, Serpentine Arts Technologies, and RadicalxChange. For their work to help bring new imaginations of stewardship to life, thank you to Victoria Ivanova, Matt Prewitt, Ollie George, Victoria Bosch, and Tommie Introna. Furthermore, thanks to Jack Murray-Brown, Roxy Zeiher, Joaquín Ezcurra, Thomas Charil, Claudia Melendez, Angela Navajas McCormick, Cara Russell, Kay Watson, Alice Scope, Graven Prest, and Cody Hatfield. To the many hundreds of people who have contributed their imaginations throughout this journey, your acts of weather-reading lead us towards new worldings of water, memory and life.
Thank you also to Aerocene Argentina member Joaquín Ezcurra who was a crucial part in coordinating this multifaceted public presentation, as well as Studio Tomás Saraceno. An incredible thanks to the leading members Lars Behrendt, Sarah Kisner, Manuela Mazure Azcona, Claudia Meléndez Rivera and Gustavo Alonso Serafin, and to Miriam Aller, Victoria Bosch, Ollie George, Dario Lagana, Max Parnell, Anna-Sophie Schmidt and Ilka Tödt. And for their enduring commitment to pushing our creative limits together, thank you to Francisco Alvarez, Giulia Ambrosini, Duncan Anderson, Isabel de Andres Velasco, Martin Araneda, Mateo Argerich, Kim Bode, Sascha Boldt, Thomas Charil, Ben Clark, Filippo Corato, Maria Cristina Crespo, Carola Dietrich, Manie Du Plessis, Charles González, Samantha Grob, Jan Grupp, Sven Hoffmann, Georgi Kazlachev, Tomás Matamala, Olivia Moore, Lea Nikou, Jaime Norambuena, Manuel Ortuzar, Tania Patritti, Matthew Raven, Patrick Reddy, Jazmin Schenone, Niki Sidirourgou, Lasse Skafte, Judith Straßenberger, Alberto Vallejo, Philipp Weber and Davide Zucco.
We would like to thank everyone who has contributed in helping us enter the Aerocene era, including Sasha Engelmann, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Centre for Art, Science and Technology – CAST, Leila Wheatley Kinney, and Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Science Department – EAPS, Ludovica Illari, Glenn Flierl, Bill McKenna, Verónica Fiorito, Centro Cultural Kirchner, Hans-Ulrich Obrist, Daehyung Lee, Daniel Birnbaum, Molly Nesbit, Rebecca Lamarche-Vadel, Bernard Blistene, Lea Zeberli, Pep Julià, Carlo Antonelli, Josep María Llaidó, Agnes Husslein-Arco, Mario Codognato, Marianne Torp, Rutger Wolfson, Joseph Becker, Elizabeth Thomas and Phyllis Wattis, Jacob Fabricius, Rob La Frenais, Lorenzo Malloni, Jean-Paul Felley, Olivier Kaeser, Ellie Buttrose, Studio Tomás Saraceno, Florian Matzner, Corentin Ragot, José Roca, Theo Tegelaers, Adrian Notz, Cédric Carlès, Ewen Chardonnet, Ralph Rugoff, Anna Tilroe, Gayatri Uppal, Sabrina van der Ley, Markus Richter, Mohammad Kazem, Eva Scharrer, Jonathan Watkins, Pierluigi and Natalina Remotti, Francesca von Habsburg, Markus Reymann, TBA21 Academy, Garance Primat, Caroline Eggel, Christiane Rekade, Marco Biraghi, Maurizio Bortolotti, Bert Theis, Juan and Patricia Vergez, Anne Strauss, Meredith Malone, Yona Friedman, Nikolaus Hirsch, Peter Weibel, Filippo Garrone, Frederik Jacobi, Barbara Bulc, EU Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc, Blaz Pongracic, Mark Lawrence, Stefan Schaffer from the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), and the artistic creation funding program of France, Mondes nouveaux, Transsolar, the Art Institute at Technische Universität Braunschweig, Erik Bordeleau from the Economic Space Agency, Emmanuele Braga, to Adam Greig, Daniel Richman, Jamie Wood, Yun-Hang Cho, Tzen Chia from Advanced Hackspace CUSF – Habhub, Igor, Tom and Maria Miklousic from Baloni club Zagreb. Luca Cerizza, Sara Arrhenius, For their support to the Exhibition Road interdisciplinary project in London in 2016, Carlo Rizzo, the Imperial College London, The Natural History Museum,The Royal College of Art, Natasha Almeida, Dr. Harriet Hawkins, Thomas Hill, Sam Hertz, Sir Brian Hoskins, Audrey Gaulard, Katie Weeks, Alberto Pesavento, Carlos Almeida, Till Andersson, Till Hergenhahn, Eduardo Ernesto Marengo, Natalija Miodragovic, Yasmil Raymond, Christiana Rekada, Manuel Scano, Alessandro Coco, Claire Contamine, Débora Swistun, Denis Maksimov, Gianluca Malgeri, Jol Thomson, Grace Pappas, Walter Munk, Alicia Andersen, Mariana Saraceno, Martín Saraceno, Michele Saraceno, Antonia Alampi, Belén Alvarado, Udo Kittelmann, Marion Ackermann, Ute Meta Bauer, Joseph Grima, Andrea Lissoni, Pedro Uc Be, María Cohen, Paz Guevara, Alicia De Arteaga, Cristian Herfert, Friedrich von Borries, Juan Ignacio Fernández Marqués, Nikola Dietrich, Mauro Joaquín Aguirre, Galvan Marcos Antonio, Ignacio Marozzi, Liliana Mazure, Facundo Pages, Valeria Pecoraro, Godofredo Pereira, Janine Randerson, Fernando Ribero, Peifen Sung, Marina Otero Verzier, Alexander Bouchner, Ayushi Dhawana, Beate Engl, Leticia Marqués, Sven Steudte, Graham Stevens, Susanne Witzgall, John Ginsborg, Christian Just Linde, Emma Enderby, Diana Wechsler, Hector Jaquet. Boris Groys, Bronisław Szerszyński, Derek McCormack, Lizzie Carey-Thomas, Chris Bayley, Mike Gaughan, Lou Raggett and the outstanding team at Serpentine Galleries, Kiel Moe, Nicholas Shapiro, Liz Barry, Public Lab, Oliver Morton, Olivier Michelon, Pierre Chabard, Sanford Kwinter, Kimberly Bradley, Marco Ferrari, Margarita Ezcurra, Marie Thébaud-Sorger, Pedro Portellano, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Timo Tuominen, Jennifer Morgan from Greenpeace. Also to Michael Braungart, Matthias Schuler, Michael Kezirian, Iyad Rahwan, Jonathan Ledgard, Sara Dean, William Shubert, Red Cross, Red Crescent, Pablo Suárez and to Bruno Latour. And for the generous support of Espace Muraille and Eric and Caroline Freymond.
For their endless commitment, thank you to Tim Neuger and Burkhard Riemschneider of neugerriemschneider (Berlin). As well as to Tanya Bonakdar Gallery (New York / Los Angeles), Pinksummer Contemporary Art (Genoa), Andersen’s Contemporary (Copenhagen), and Ruth Benzacar (Buenos Aires).
And to Antonia, Emi Lou, and Matilda. Thank you
