Monitor: The Futurists

Nostalgia Rockets

Words: David Alm

Oftentimes, the oddities of one culture are best illuminated by those of another. And what could be a better example of this than Karaoke? Korean artist Lee Bul has focused on this kitschy pastime for her most recent solo show, Live Forever, displayed this summer at the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York. Three fiberglass Karaoke "pods" that resemble old Corvettes but seem also spookily futuristic and alien sat in pitch-darkness before three enormous screens projecting the songs' lyrics over a various filmed images. Visitors could "rock out" (to use the gallery assistant's phrase) to the Beatles, Radiohead, Blondie, Talking Heads and even Culture Club from the soundproof comfort of these personal nostalgia rockets as they virtually sped through city streets at night, frolicked with young girls in a park and watched couples dance -- out of step -- to whatever song they chose to sing. Trained in sculpture at Hong-Ik University in Seoul, Bul has shown her work in such coveted locations as the San Francisco Art Institute, the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, the Walker Art Center and the 1999 Venice Biennale.