Jinu Hong produces a diverse body of work that entails self-awareness between physicality, body, and technology. Setting a minimal guideline in his work, Hong invites the audience to be a willing viewer in creating new tendencies, potential, and encourage improvisation from his design. 

 

Hong’s work is an antithetical response to the world of design. As a graphic designer, he witnesses design becoming increasingly dematerialized in a way of flatness and lack of physical tangibility; the viewers are accustomed to the intangible design structure without any doubts. 

 

In the experiment to create an interplay between design and the audience, he sets minimal rules, instructions, and scores on various design platforms such as printed books, video, sonic experience, and performances. He hopes to encourage onlookers to build more flexible experiences in their improvisation when absorbing in his art. As Hong closely works with his audience to encourage flexibility in unexpected events, he gives himself the title, ‘digital bricoleur.’ The French verb, “bricoleur,” refers to the kind of activities that are performed by a handy-man. Hong observes his audience to see what their reactions are towards his work to use as influence for future projects. He recycles his previous designs, creating new combinations through the reactions of his onlookers. Hong’s constant influence from the audience’s reaction is in hopes to build an active communication between the audience and design, like a “bricoleur”. 

 

Due to the lack of physical connection from social distancing, Jinu Hong has been focusing on interactive designs where the audience can communicate with each other as if they were face to face but just on a digital platform. Furthermore, he hopes that he can build an alternative type of expression, capturing the audience’s transition of emotion and expression.