Dance Practice

This three-channel video installation examines the standardized aesthetics of Korean female idol culture and its fan practices, both shaped by the entertainment industry's patriarchal mechanisms since the 1990s. Idol groups are typically categorized by stylized concepts—“cute,” “sexy,” or “powerful”—defined through costume, choreography, and camera work rather than individual agency. In most music videos, idols have little control over how their bodies are framed; instead, standardized camera movements dictate the gaze and spread across fan-made dance covers.

The first video deconstructs these visual conventions through ghost-like movements in an empty dance studio. The absence of bodies emphasizes repetition, suggesting a haunted loop of mimicry. The second video documents my own attempts to replicate three idol dance styles, reflecting the rigorous training and self-surveillance embedded in fandom. The third video captures a K-POP “Random Dance” event from a top-down, long-exposure perspective, where moving bodies blur into a collective rhythm—evoking both religious ritual and sports team choreography.

Sound design integrates recordings of idols greeting the camera (“Annyeonghaseyo”), my own footsteps, and ambient humming from practice sessions. These layered sounds reinforce the sense of cultural uniformity and disembodiment, immersing viewers in a space where individuality dissolves into spectacle.