Chorus of Trees

Between 2018-2020, forty-six charcoal tree drawings from the collection titled Chorus of Trees exhibited as an installation in American and South Korean museums.


The Inspiration

“As a child, I frequently hiked the mountains of Korea with my father who had studied earth sciences in university. While making our way through the forest together, he would explain in great detail the natural phenomena of how the mountains came to be and, more specifically, the secret life of trees. This newfound scientific information coupled with the loving exchanges between my father and I left an impression on me which triggered a sense of wonderment and imagination that continues to reverberate to this day.

I love to be in the woods amid the trees; it gives me so much joy and inspiration. The trees make my heart explode with their lively vibrations. They capture and sustain life in such an indescribably unique and breathtakingly beautiful way. That is the very essence of what I wanted to express through this series of drawings.”

— Younhee C. Paik

This installation was comprised of 3 main components:

1. Floating Trees
2. Lake of the Abyss
3. Living Forest

Floating Trees was a cascade of charcoal tree drawings on rice paper overlooking an enormous 8m x 8m painting (6 individual canvases combined) which laid flat on the floor below. This floor piece, titled Lake of the Abyss, was representative of an abyssal body of water gushing from the middle of a circle of trees, capturing the 'light of the sky' that permeates forests. The lake, tinged with this light and the shadows from hovering trees, ripples in the wind, turning into rapids and swirls. The pouring and spreading of paints represented the color of the abyss surrounded by trees, transmitting the life force of the universe to us via the trees' breath. The images of the trees suspended above were reflected in the transparent plexiglass sitting atop the floor painting while the deep echo from the lake which absorbs the clear sky of the forest envelops people as they experience the mirrored world of the forest.

A 'Living Forest'

Visitors were invited to walk under the trees and on the lake as an interactive experience where the focus was on communication with the viewer. Walking through the installation, rather than just looking, produces the flow of air to deliver the kinetic power of wind to the floating trees, so that their subtle trembles become their voices to sing in chorus. Responding to this and walking over the plexiglass which resembled the surface of water, the viewer can enjoy a fantasy of their own body floating like the trees and feel deeply relaxed. It was Paik's hope that visitors would have time to appreciate and to heal under the trees and to achieve harmony with the living forest as an organic medium able to breathe life into the artwork.

This installation appeared at the following institutions:

2018 Younhee Paik Studio—Oakland, CA

2019 Mills College Art Museum—Oakland, CA

2020 Whanki Museum—Seoul, South Korea

View more invidual drawings from this installation in the Chorus of Trees Collection.

Don't forget to check out the Wondrous Flight Installation