Korean Air Box Project 2015: Julius Popp

Whether you’re scrolling through your Facebook feed or clicking through the daily news, it’s almost impossible to avoid this broad category of “information” in this digital age. You learn something new one minute and then go on to the next piece of information without reflection. How much of it is actually processed? And how much is significant enough for you to hold on to? German media installation artist, Julius Popp asks these questions in his exhibition “bit.fall,” which has previously made its way to the 2012 London Olympics, the MoMa in New York and the Museum of Old and New in Australia, among other places. In the installation, a screen of water falls from the ceiling and an endless cascade of currently trending words is projected on it. The Seoul exhibition that will be held at the MMCA will be the largest in size to date and is adding the concept of, “pulse,” to the title. With the term “bit” referring to the smallest possible unit within computer data and “pulse” referring to the idea of immediate and widespread flow (within the body),  “bit.fall.pulse” attempts to capture how quickly even the most minute information can appear and disappear. In Popp’s own words, it’s "a metaphor for the incessant flood of information we are exposed to.” With Seoul often topping lists as one of the most connected cities in the world, it should be particularly meaningful to see the exhibition here. (The exhibition will even feature words in hangul). Will we, Seoulites, manage to put aside our smartphones and reflect on the artist’s meanings? Or will each word disappear without a moment’s thought?