This talk formed part of the Korea Foundation’s LAB Series: Lectures on Arts and Beyond, a global programme running from 12–19 November across five international institutions, aimed at deepening academic engagement with Korean culture and exploring innovative intersections between the arts and contemporary society.
Professor Lee opened his lecture with an overview of his illustrious career, offering rare insight into the creative processes behind his diverse and influential body of work. He highlighted several major projects that demonstrate his ongoing commitment to blending technology, philosophy, and human experience.
A key example was Audible Garden, Lee’s 2023 solo exhibition at the Korean Cultural Centre London. Featuring a series of both digital and physical works inspired by the artist’s personal experiences and observations, the exhibition blurred the boundaries between the real and the virtual. Through this multisensory exploration, Lee invited audiences to reconsider how we experience the world offering a ‘deep understanding of our perception and experience’.
He also discussed Cine-Forest: Awakening Bloom, an ambitious public art project that transformed the forest of Bundang Central Park in Seongnam into an active participant in the performance. Combining ultra-high-resolution projections, a 70-piece orchestra, a 1,000-voice civic choir, and AI-generated compositions interwoven with natural and urban soundscapes, the project reimagined the relationship between environment, technology, and community.
And most famously, space media art project Good Morning, Mr. G-Dragon, created in collaboration with global K-pop icon G-Dragon (Kwon Ji-yong) and KAIST. This groundbreaking work integrated biometric data, generative AI, sound art, projection mapping, and satellite transmission technology to send an emotionally infused audiovisual signal, derived from G-Dragon’s iris patterns and original music, into outer space via a 13-metre parabolic antenna.
The lecture concluded with a thought provoking audience discussion. Key takeaways included the importance of continued investment in the creative arts, particularly in an era increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence. Lee emphasised that while AI is a powerful tool that is here to stay, it should be used to support and enhance human creativity, not replace it. Human imagination remains essential; without it, AI simply reproduces what already exists. Creativity, therefore, is critical not only to artistic innovation but to shaping a better future.