Fully illustrating the big ideas in Roh’s practice, the appearance of his “Rami” series (2013–17) immediately conveys utility. Black strings jut out diagonally and organize into familiar forms of furniture—a stool, table, long bench and armchair—as if pencil lines drawn on paper had been printed in three dimensions. Works in the series employ organic forms found in nature, leaving visual impressions of water movements, magnetic fields and wind patterns. The core material in all of his design objects shown in the gallery is carbon fiber, which is malleable at room temperature, allowing Roh to braid and shape these creations by hand before he bakes and hardens the strands.

Two structures, Nodus (2014) and Luno Seoul (2017), occupied the same space. Nodus (2014) is a slightly bent rectangular form housing intersections of black carbon fiber filaments with brightly lit fiber optic cables. Together, they cast shadows on the floor—a pattern of straight lines that fill an empty plane. For this piece, Roh utilizes techniques of jiseung—the Korean craft of creating vessels by twisting and braiding paper strands. By engaging in this laborious, traditional activity with modern materials, Roh experiments with the value of a hand in a society suffused with technologies of convenience.  

Another object that Roh sculpted by hand was Luno Seoul (2017), which features a set of black lines of carbon fiber rising and falling, knitting hexagons that form a curved surface—a throne of sorts. The work is originally an armchair, but its presentation—placed askew on an irregular pedestal—has removed the object from its purpose, driving us to consider it as a sculpture.

Thirteen objects made up an installation titled Parabola Paradiso (2017) on the upper floor, showing numerous overlapping arches on the floor and ceiling. These incandescent curves are made of optical fiber, glistening within the dark space. On closer examination, we see that this chandelier is sewn with clear beads, allowing light to seep through the transparent material, forming a strong contrast with the structures made from solid lines seen earlier before. On the floor were sculptures of black arches with strands of optical fibers, seemingly tethering the arches to the floor so that they do not shift in form. These parabolic structures pay homage to the Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí, recalling his placement of weights on chains to create catenaries using gravity. Gaudí later inverted the shape for arches used in large-scale projects, such as Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. Roh’s arches emerge from this architectural reference. A strange and quiet ambiance filled the space as the chandeliers gracefully swayed.

Initially, the logic behind Roh’s engineered constructions was challenging to decipher, but the process behind his handcrafted work relays a dedication to perfection in design. Only on the topmost floor do we see a video that reveals Roh’s thoughts and the techniques required for his creations. Roh embraces handicraft and technology, fusing them with pristine grace.

Il Hoon Roh’s “Material Architectonics” is on view at Platform-L Contemporary Art Center, Seoul, until September 17, 2017.

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