ART
U-Ram Choe's sci-fi fantasies
Korean artist constructs mechanized creatures
Artist U-Ram Choe's kinetic sculptures mix science and technology with art. Inspired by science fiction and the otaku culture of manga and anime, his mechanized vision of nature — replicating flowers, insects, birds, and sea life — references both the medieval and the futuristic.
Choe runs his own lab. United Research of Anima-Machines (URAM, after his own name) is Choe's pseudo-company that designs and constructs his machine-creatures, equipping them with wings, fins, and propellers.
He practices his own weird science. Choe gives his animatronic sculptures Latin names and creates narratives that suggest his creatures inhale nitrogen oxide, photosynthesize solar energy, and eat all sorts of electric waves.
He finds his own work frightening. Heavily engaged with the themes of his inspiration, Choe finds machines fascinating, yet fears the Matrix-like outcome of technology taking control of humankind.
Check out Choe's website, watch a video of Opertus Lunula Umbra in motion, view a time-lapse installation of the piece, and visit his bitforms gallery online.
- Paul Laster
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