Crossing the Chasm: Beyond the Threshold of Survival and Imagination by Yong Joo Kim

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Yong Joo Kim

Pushing this material to its limits, she started to experiment by generating many diverse sets of forms by combining one or more of the three shapes. During this time, she was surprised to see unexpected link between survival, variety, and mastery.
Ashby’s Law of Requisite Variety states that only variety can absorb variety. What he means is that, in order to master any problem or process, we have to be able to bring more variety to bear than is inherent in the situation.
To put it more simply, think of two jazz players improvising: one plays a certain melody and another responds with a different melody. Even when an unexpected melody is played, a master improviser has the ability to choose the most appropriate response that expresses the feeling they desire while maintaining the integrity of the ensemble. In this regard, mastery is the stage that one reaches by acquiring a sufficient variety of responses that empowers one to deal with this kind of interaction.
 
If the jazz players’ continuous playing is analogous to an artists’ being able to keep generating new forms, and the ability to continue generating new forms is related to surviving as an artist, what is the relationship between variety and survival? Could the process of survival be inextricably linked to the process of achieving mastery? These questions have intrigued Yong Joo greatly, and have been fueling her most recent explorations.

Opening reception: Wednesday, 9 September,  5 – 7pm.
Please join us to meet the artist.
 
Opening hours:
Monday - Sunday 11am- 6pm
Admission is free.