Suicide Machine — herrwook

Wook Seo

Wook Seo (Hyunwook Seo) is a visual artist based in Seoul and New York, who refuses to be confined to a specific culture or style, positioning himself as an intermediary in the gaps between boundaries. He earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees in Metal Craft from Seoul National University and later received an MFA in Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York. Following this, he participated in a residency program at Flux Factory in New York, where he engaged in various collaborative projects and exhibitions.

Recently, he has been devoted to adding narrative layers to the imaginations he builds within digital spaces, materializing them through carefully chosen mediums, and presenting them to the audience. The physical entities he creates pull viewers into the digital realm, inviting them into his narratives regardless of their generation or background knowledge.

CV

Project

Haphazrd
Trickster
Fantasy

TRICKSTERSUICIDE MACHINE

BACK

TRICKSTER
SUICIDE MACHINE

 2018.06.25-2018.07.28
 Installed at Shinhan Gallery

How Binaural beats work

Description

Binaural beats are auditory illusions perceived when two slightly different frequencies are presented separately to each ear. These differences produce vibrations in the brain that are thought to influence mental states. By manipulating the amplitude of sounds corresponding to alpha, beta, gamma, and theta brainwaves, it is possible to induce a variety of emotional and psychological responses—from joy and sorrow to fear, euphoria, and even sexual arousal.

The project began with the idea of measuring brainwave data from people undergoing specific emotional or spiritual experiences using EEG sensors. For example, the brainwaves of Tibetan monks during deep meditation can be recorded, digitized, and then transformed into binaural beat sound patterns. This allows others to access similar states of deep inner peace without years of meditation practice.

I believed this approach could be applied to the appreciation of art, particularly abstract painting. The multi-dimensional experience that modernism demands—often requiring substantial theoretical knowledge—is usually inaccessible to the general public. However, the emotional resonance of such art could, in theory, be directly transmitted through binaural beats. Without prior education, anyone could experience the profound emotional states that certain artworks aim to provoke.

The project focused on whether specific emotional states could be induced in exhibition spaces.

The first experiment involved creating a visual installation that drew the attention of visitors. Once engaged, viewers were exposed to binaural beats designed to generate happiness. By pressing a single button, participants could bypass the complex and often inaccessible paths to emotional fulfillment and achieve a direct, engineered sense of joy. This experience redefined what it means to "feel" in the age of technological mediation. The work was titled Suicide Machine, referencing the existential implications of attaining emotion at the push of a button.

The installation is titled Suicide Machine to signify a conscious farewell to the traditional human process of experiencing emotions through cause and effect. Conventionally, emotions like happiness or pleasure are tied to specific actions—smelling flowers, meeting close friends, or engaging in meaningful activity. In contrast, this machine induces happiness with the press of a button, bypassing all preceding actions. The system offers an immediate emotional state by manipulating brainwaves, effectively removing the need for emotional causes.

This represents a voluntary departure from what is often considered “human nature.” When digital technology enables access to emotion on demand, it also eliminates the need for the experiences that would otherwise justify those feelings.

To strengthen the credibility of this obscure sound-based system, the project deliberately employed an unnecessarily large structure. However, I discovered that the open and exposed format made it difficult for many participants to fully concentrate on the sound. As a result, a significant portion of the audience struggled to engage effectively, which led to key improvements in the next iteration of the project.