Seo Hyojung
Seo Hyojung (b. 1972) is a generative artist and professor at SADI whose work visualizes the patterns of daily life and the rhythms of the city through algorithms and code. Drawing inspiration from mathematical principles and natural structures, Seo has developed a visual language in which rules and variables evolve into dynamic forms. Seo regards billboards and media façades not as simple displays but as expanded architectural media, exploring visual flows that interact with the urban environment. Seo’s algorithmically generated landscapes emerge and dissolve like woven textiles, proposing a new kind of landscape painting that imparts a fluid order to the city. During the pandemic, Seo launched the daily coding project LOoP LoOP: Every day is a Code on Instagram, which marked the beginning of Seo’s practice as a generative artist. Since then, Seo has continued to expand Seo’s work from interactive installations and performances into experiments at the intersection of art, technology, and public experience.
Artworks
- Okchundang: Rotational Accumulations, 2025, Generative Animation
Okchundang: Rotational Accumulations is a generative animation inspired by the form of the traditional Korean confectionery Okchundang, exploring how cultural forms can be abstracted and reconstituted through algorithmic processes. The artist simplifies the circular structure of Okchundang, deconstructs it into radial fragments, and uses a code-based algorithm to stack and repeat these elements, generating larger visual structures. In the interplay between randomness and rule, subtle variations in rotation and alignment produce shifts in pattern and density, while the contrast of vivid colors creates rhythm and visual tension. Within a fixed set of rules, the endlessly transforming images reveal how traditional formal language can be translated into a new abstract order within the logic of digital algorithms. By transposing the materiality of traditional form into digital code, Okchundang: Rotational Accumulations exposes the artistic condition in which digital images are produced and circulated without physical substance. The artist presents the generative algorithmic process itself as the essence of the work, proposing that the artwork no longer exists as a fixed object but as an immaterial event emerging from data and computation. Continuously transforming according to its display environment and medium, the work reflects the openness and elasticity of digital media, serving as a model that reconsiders how digital art is produced, owned, and exhibited, and more fundamentally, what defines the conditions of art in the digital age.
Artist Responses
What media and technical components make up this work?The work consists of a digital video generated through code and algorithms, producing images that vary over time through a combination of mathematical rules and random variables. Its key technical components include the programming environment, video rendering software, and digital file formats (such as MP4 and MOV). Preservation depends less on the hardware itself than on the algorithm and the execution environment.Is conversion into other formats possible?Yes, the work can be converted into various output formats, including fixed video files (MP4, MOV), real-time executable programs, and still image sequences. Such conversions may be made depending on the exhibition context and technical requirements.Are there plans to migrate or emulate this work in response to future technological changes?Yes, it is necessary to archive the original code and execution environment. If the existing environment becomes unusable, the work can be rewritten in another coding framework, although differences between environments may mean that it cannot be reproduced in exactly the same form.What should be prioritized to ensure the long-term care of this work?Priority should be given to archiving the original algorithm code together with its annotations. The execution environment (including language version, libraries, and operating system) should be documented, and the primary video outputs (exhibition master files) must be preserved. In addition, it is essential to prepare and maintain comprehensive documentation of the work’s concept, exhibition conditions, and installation manual.What do you consider the essential element that must be sustained, even if the medium changes?The core of this work lies in the generative process and visual rhythm produced by the algorithm. While the medium or hardware may change, the experience of images being rhythmically varied through code must be preserved.Does the work depend on specific technical forms or hardware?The work does not depend on specific hardware. It can be presented on digital displays such as LED screens or projection, although adjustments to resolution and aspect ratio are required for exhibition.What are the most important environmental conditions for installation (such as space, lighting, or sound)?The surrounding lighting should be adjusted to suit the display environment so that the colors are rendered accurately.To what extent can the work be reinstalled in the future without the direct involvement of the artist?Simple video playback can be carried out without the artist’s direct involvement. However, when adjusting variables such as ratio, color, or speed to suit a new space, the artist’s intent should be reflected.Can the current form of the work be maintained in the future?The identity of the work is not defined by any specific hardware. It can be substituted with digital displays or projectors of equivalent performance, as its identity lies in the visual outcomes generated by the algorithm.If specific equipment or components fail, can they be replaced?Standard digital equipment such as monitors or projectors can be replaced with devices of equivalent specifications. Since the video is exhibited in extracted file form, it can also be substituted with a new file.Are there any particular points you would like to emphasize or considerations to note regarding the preservation of the work?The identity of the work lies in its code and algorithmic structure, and it is essential to preserve both the original code and its execution environment. If only a single output video is kept, the work’s generative potential is lost; therefore, multiple video results produced from the same algorithm should be archived and exhibited together.