Cine Forest: Awakening Bloom, Photo by Sun Kim
Overview
Cine Forest: Where Nature, Human and Technology Converge
Cine Forest: Awakening Bloom marks the world’s first attempt to transform the dense woodland of Bundang Central Park into a vast open-air media theatre, directed by media artist Jinjoon Lee.
The concept of “Cine Forest” seeks not merely to use the forest as a scenic backdrop, but to transit it into the very stage and active agent of the performance. Through 16-ultra-high-resolution projection mapping (40,000 - 45,000 ANSI lumens), the contours of the landscape and the delicate textures of leaves and trees become the living canvas for moving images. Wherever the audience turns, they find themselves fully immersed in a scene that breathes and unfolds around them.
The subtitle, “Awakening Bloom” (動花), captures the moment when projected imagery fuses with the movements and rhythms of the forest, as if each leaf were unfurling like a flower in bloom. In this transformation, the forest ceases to be a passive element of nature and instead becomes a living, sentient entity, where image, music, and the voices of citizens converge.
This performance introduces an entirely new form, the “Media Symphony”, extending beyond the boundaries of the traditional classical concert. It opens with a fairy tale about “a giant who became a star,” inspired by the legends of Pangu and Prometheus, whose breath and footsteps echo through the woodland and the surrounding cityscape. Beloved film scores are interwoven with newly composed symphonic works created through collaboration between human composers and artificial intelligence. These are performed by a 70-piece orchestra and a thousand-voice civic choir, interlaced with the natural soundscape of the forest—wind, insects, and flowing water.
Sounds gathered from the everyday lives of Seongnam’s citizens—captured in parks, stations, streets, and roads—are also woven into the composition, producing a layered narrative in which past and present, humanity and technology, city and nature intersect.
Preview of Cine-Forest Awakening Bloom, 2025.
Cine Forest: Awakening Bloom is not merely a technological spectacle. It is a stage upon which art and technology merge to realise “augmented empathy”, expanding the field of shared human experience. Here, light, sound, human voices, and the breath of nature resonate together, transforming the audience from passive observers into participants within the work itself. Every act of walking, breathing, and sensing becomes part of the unfolding narrative, leaving behind a holistic and liminal experience that can never be repeated in exactly the same way.
This work represents not only a new horizon for media art, but also a symbolic declaration of how technology and art can converge to shape the cultural identity and future branding of a city. Like an unfolding Oriental landscape painting, this "Sansui media panorama" transforms a familiar urban forest into a realm where fantasy meets technology, and nature merges with art.
The Scenario of the Titan Who Became a Star
The Titan
The giant who once shared starlight finally becomes a star himself, reminding us of the precious value of lost innocence and hope.
Leaves of the forest, media art, orchestral music, and the voices of citizens follow the journey of the giant, offering us a moment of rebirth in starlight.
Leaves of the forest, media art, orchestral music, and the voices of citizens follow the journey of the giant, offering us a moment of rebirth in starlight.
Part I
Each time the subway rumbles through its deep tunnels, the old tale of a giant comes to mind.
The giant who once guarded the skies of Seongnam.
Today, we tell you how he became a star.
The giant who once guarded the skies of Seongnam.
Today, we tell you how he became a star.
Long ago, the village where he lived was filled with swaying wildflowers on every hill, and smoke rose all day long from the chimneys of small houses.
At night, the stars would descend one by one, scattering above the village.
It was a fairy-tale place, filled with songs and laughter.
At night, the stars would descend one by one, scattering above the village.
It was a fairy-tale place, filled with songs and laughter.
Then, one day, darkness swallowed the city.
Car horns towered higher than buildings, and thick smoke filled the sky.
People covered their ears, and the stars fled from the smoke.
When the darkness settled completely, even the light in people’s eyes disappeared.
But the giant knew. He knew somewhere there were still eyes shining bright. He knew that light could drive away the darkness.
So, he resolved.
To summon hope back into people’s hearts, to make them look at one another again…
Perhaps it was his destiny to bring light to the world.
Car horns towered higher than buildings, and thick smoke filled the sky.
People covered their ears, and the stars fled from the smoke.
When the darkness settled completely, even the light in people’s eyes disappeared.
But the giant knew. He knew somewhere there were still eyes shining bright. He knew that light could drive away the darkness.
So, he resolved.
To summon hope back into people’s hearts, to make them look at one another again…
Perhaps it was his destiny to bring light to the world.
The world was steeped in darkness, and he alone could deliver the light.
Yet he could not simply hand down a star.
For the heavens had guarded the stars since time immemorial.
He feared that if he dared to take one, he himself might vanish forever…
So he hesitated for a long time.
But then he remembered the laughter of children and their eyes, clear as starlight.
At last, he made up his mind. To journey forth and return light to the world lost in darkness.
Yet he could not simply hand down a star.
For the heavens had guarded the stars since time immemorial.
He feared that if he dared to take one, he himself might vanish forever…
So he hesitated for a long time.
But then he remembered the laughter of children and their eyes, clear as starlight.
At last, he made up his mind. To journey forth and return light to the world lost in darkness.
He secretly drew out a star, placed it upon his palm, and softly blew—hoo—.
Awakened, the star drifted down to the earth on the wind.
The forest lit up, trees breathed again, and birds sang songs of joy.
One landed in an alley, another by a window, and others in everyone’s dreams…
The stars became lanterns, casting light upon the darkness.
Awakened, the star drifted down to the earth on the wind.
The forest lit up, trees breathed again, and birds sang songs of joy.
One landed in an alley, another by a window, and others in everyone’s dreams…
The stars became lanterns, casting light upon the darkness.
Overjoyed, he continued to draw out stars.
The sleeping grass and trees began to dance, and warm light fell upon the city.
As the world brightened with starlight, people began to regain the light in their eyes.
Astonished, they said, “It feels as if the stars have returned to us…”
But he knew. This peace would not last long.
Someday, the heavens would realize what had been done.
The sleeping grass and trees began to dance, and warm light fell upon the city.
As the world brightened with starlight, people began to regain the light in their eyes.
Astonished, they said, “It feels as if the stars have returned to us…”
But he knew. This peace would not last long.
Someday, the heavens would realize what had been done.
Part II
The world shone with the starlight he had given, but his star sack was now empty.
Suddenly, the sky split open and rain poured down.
The quiet forest grew noisy, and the ground shook violently.
Fierce winds slashed at him, and at last thunder approached.
Lightning brushed past him.
He knew—the final moment had come.
The quiet forest grew noisy, and the ground shook violently.
Fierce winds slashed at him, and at last thunder approached.
Lightning brushed past him.
He knew—the final moment had come.
The world turned entirely white, and fragments of stars scattered through the sky like snowflakes.
He had not vanished. He became the countless stars that now brighten our heavens.
His footprints became a shimmering path, and people, looking up at the stars, rediscovered the innocence they had forgotten.
He will remain forever in the sky, always by our side.
That was the promise he left behind.
He had not vanished. He became the countless stars that now brighten our heavens.
His footprints became a shimmering path, and people, looking up at the stars, rediscovered the innocence they had forgotten.
He will remain forever in the sky, always by our side.
That was the promise he left behind.
