Travelogue: Sougwen Chung

The word ‘travelogue’ was first coined by Burton Holmes, a travel lecturer from the early 20th century (who first used colored glass slides and then moving pictures to supplement his talks). Given the sheer volume of imagery being shared through Tumblr, Facebook, and Instagram today, the word almost seems quaint and old-fashioned. Still, there’s something to be said for pulling together a particular set of images to tell a story or provide insight into a particular time in one’s life.

Leading up to our release of Sougwen Chung’s new print series, Étude Op. 2, No. 1-4, for Ghostly International Editions, we asked the Brooklyn-based artist to select and narrate some of her favorite images from a recent spate of trips taken between May and June, 2012. Viewed together, they provide a subtle link between the artist’s life and her work, showing how the experiences in the former can inform the preoccupations of the latter, and vice versa.

Snapshots from Santa Theresa, Vancouver, Tokyo, Nagano, and Brooklyn.
May to mid-June, 2012.

Row 1 (left to right)

The daylight created layers of texture on the hills and valleys that was rather captivating. View from a very small plane to a secluded island. Santa Theresa, Costa Rica.
Another notable instance of light passing through wine glasses, illuminating a woven tablecloth. Looked like two fireflies. Santa Theresa, Costa Rica.
Black sands in Costa Rica. It maybe barely noticeable from the photo but in person the sand was iridescent in the darkest swirls. Santa Theresa, Costa Rica.

Row 2

Surveillance. This ruptured bark took looked like a left eye, peering at me. Vancouver, British Columbia
Numerous paper cranes made from beautiful origami paper in the Japanese consulate. I was applying for my performance visa for an upcoming visual show at Taico Club Festival in Nagano.

Row 3

Sunset view, arrival in Shibuya in Tokyo. Jetlag, then noodles.
Morning view, Japanese Countryside for Taico Club Festival with Sepalcure. The trip was exhilarating; we shared stage with Machine Drum, Mouse on Mars, Africa Hitech, and more. 8,000 people showed up to the event and all proceeds went to Tsunami relief. Andy Gilmore’s visuals for Africa Hitech were stunning as always. Nagano, Japan.

Row 4

Scales on pinecone. Transfixed by the rich details in the folds. Vancouver, British Columbia.
Blue petals for July 4th. Back in Brooklyn, New York
New York skyline in a cab from the airport, after being away from the city for a few months. Apparently Zach (Shigeto) took the same photo. Brooklyn, New York