CURRENT, 2026
Single channel film. 4K. Color. Stereo sound. Duration: 8 min.
Current is composed of a single, slow-motion aerial image of the ocean filmed off the coast of Jeju Island. From above, white foaming waves wash over a cluster of black volcanic rocks breaking the surface of the water. At first, the camera lingers close enough to discern barnacles in the crevices of the rocks. It then slowly ascends in an upward spiral, gradually revealing the vast expanse of the ocean as the islet below recedes into a larger archipelagic formation.
A flock of cranes intermittently enters and leaves the frame. Their migratory movement evokes the interconnectedness and resilience of natural systems, linking ecosystems, people, and places across vast distances. Their passage echoes the continuous relationships between waves, tides, geological formations, migration, and temporalities that extend beyond the scale of human experience.
Through these shifting scales and movements, Current presents the ocean as a living and temporal force - one shaped by cyclical rhythms, constant motion, and interdependent processes. The camera’s slow, circular ascent, along with the enveloping soundscape, creates a contemplative space where the boundaries between land, sea, atmosphere, and living beings begin to dissolve, inviting an almost spiritual connection to nature.
Acknowledgments: Concept, photography, editing: Jane Jin Kaisen. Music: Lior Suliman. Colorist: Edoardo Rebecchi. Exhibition design: Kevin Josias. Text development: Pauline Koffi Vandet. Commissioned by Hyundai Translocal Series in partnership with Nam June Paik Art Center and Pinacoteca de São Paulo. With additional support from The Danish Artistic Research Funding Programme, Ministry of Culture.