Cheonghey Sophia Lee
Cheonghey Sophia Lee is an interdisciplinary artist working in various media including sculpture, virtual reality, 3D printing, ceramics and electronics. She is interested in the fluid nature of perception and interpretation, touching on ideas around identity, memory and belonging. Her work often juxtaposes analog and digital technologies, playing with the blurred boundaries between physical and virtual worlds, and questioning the expanding notions of tactility and intimacy. She is currently exploring the intricate relationship between memory, time and belonging by focusing on the materiality of different materials from her environment.
Sophia was on a residency with us in May 2024. During her stay with us, Sophia focused on exploring and collecting materials from the area, especially along the path she walked daily from Direktørboligen up to Velferden at Sandbekk. She collected materials that caught her attention; rocks, soil, iron-oxidizing bacteria, made audio recordings, and took 3D scans and photographs of patterns she perceived.
She herself says about her stay:
"Embracing the phenomenon of pareidolia, I photographed the shapes I saw and imagined stories within the forms I encountered. The repeating orange tones of the water and soil, with their mesmerizing textures captured my attention. It was fascinating to learn that these colors were created by iron-oxidizing bacteria. I collected samples of these materials to experiment with and incorporate into my work."
"Being at Velferden allowed me to focus on my thoughts and the present, away from all the stuff that fills everyday life. This opened up space to concentrate and investigate curiosities I might have overlooked if I was affected by the lack of time. For example; the time and memories present in the patterns and colors of the stones I collected. I'm excited to continue working with the materials collected from Sokndal, including the minerals from Titania."
