The English word “alter” means “to modify.” I asked a dry cleaner to tailor the clothes of people of different sizes to fit my body and thought about this word, which I used while living as an Asian immigrant in New York, as a term that encapsulates the modernization reflected in Korea’s changing landscape over a long period of time. Back in Seoul, the city had become somewhat more relaxed and lively with parks and forests, compared to when it had previously seemed dry and desolate. However, it was a little awkward and strange to see the banks of the Hangang River redeveloped by the Hangang Renaissance, the neglected Platanus tree with its base cut off next to Jamsil Stadium, and the high-rise building next to the thickly forested Yangjae Stream. (Courtesy of the artist)
