The Passage

Kyulim Kim

March 2020

Table of Contents

Introduction

On the Case

Floating-

1. Object _ Before it becomes the sea lock gate, it is a metal structure.

2. Space _ A wall and a door.

3. Passage

4. Object _ Before it became a tunnel, it was concrete boxes.

5. Space _ Tunnel.

Epilogue

It is well known that the Netherlands lies below sea level. Therefore, it is a country in a constant process of rebuilding its disappearing land. Several water control devices which temporarily trap water have been constructed in this effort to preserve a communal place. One such device, the sea 1 lock gate , opens temporary seas, allowing the movement of water and enabling logistics. In addition, there are ongoing efforts to undertake a larger scale of logistics at an even quicker pace. The largest sea lock gate in the world, one that will block the North Sea from the Netherlands is currently being built at IJmuiden and is expected to be operational in 2022.

1 I use the word ‘sea lock gate, which could also be replaced by ‘sea sluice’. In dutch, zeesluis.

Figure 1: ​The existing sea lock ​gate​ in IJmuiden.​ (​ Source: Kyulim Kim, 2019)

Figure 2: ​Simulation image of new sea lock gate. (Source: Rijkswaterstaat) Introduction

Whilst researching water control devices in the Netherlands, I discovered that Korean workers had also contributed to building the new feature on the horizon of the Netherlands. The largest ‘sea lock gate’​ i​ n the world that blocks the North Sea in IJmuiden, was built by a South Korean company called Geosung Tech. It was shipped in its entirety from the port of Mokpo, Korea to the port of IJmuiden, the Netherlands in January 2019. I was, therefore, able to witness and film the first of three sea lock gates arrive. However, whilst undertaking my research, the Dutch company OpenIJ blamed Geosung Tech for being delayed, immediately after receiving the sea lock gate. Geosung had to pay a compensation cost for the delay of the sea lock gate, which ultimately ended up bankrupting the company.

In researching and writing this text, I have sought to understand how ideas of ‘placeness2’ can be revealed by a specific space through the method of image analysis. ​During the process of researching this issue I was attracted to the images of infrastructure that I encountered, especially the typical blueprints and PR images presented by the enterprises involved. These images are ​made for specific purposes, therefore, ​flat; they only show the surface of the structure. The context and spatial experience cannot be shown or is actively hidden, in such images. Such images from the Internet are crucial materials to my research in investigating the spaces they depict. These spaces are only accessible via such images due to their submergence in water. It is invisible yet it exists as an object and a passage, separating and dividing the spaces. Additionally, through observing and analyzing the images of each state of these massive infrastructures during their construction processes, it is possible to understand how they are located and relate to other places. I will, therefore, narrate the backside of 3 the images and imagine other outer liminal space, e​ xploring possible resonances with such infrastructures. Liminal space, here, is not represented as an image but emerges from the ones being represented. It is a transition space where time flows differently. It is a space where in-between functional and dysfunctional.

In chapter one, ​On the Case,​ I will briefly introduce the new sea lock gate in IJmuiden and explain its ongoing issues. In my second chapter, ​Floating-,​ different images and information regarding the sea lock gate and immersion tunnel are weaved together, along with fragmental personal memories of different liminal spaces. This involves the process of re-narrating the story of a space, by bringing in another alternate history of the location​.

2 The term also can be understood as ‘sense of place’. 3 ​Liminal space is where all transformation takes place. ‘​In ​anthropology​, liminality (from the Latin word ​līmen​, meaning "a threshold") is the quality of ambiguity or disorientation that occurs in the middle stage of a ​rite of passage​.’ Turner, Victor. ​"Liminal to liminoid in play, flow, and ritual: An essay in comparative symbology"​. Rice University Studies, 1974.

On the Case

On April 13 2019, I contacted the vice president of the Geosung Tech and we exchanged video files. The title of the video he sent me was ‘Sincerely wish for the support of the Netherlands people’​. ​It was written below that ​the video is intended to inform the Dutch people of an immoral action of the company and that everything which is said is based on truth and facts. ​The video he sent me consists of collected images and texts but does not include much visual evidence. Therefore, I presume that he needed the video file I took [Figure 14] as additional material for the trial which was in April and October 2019. On the court, Geosung Tech claimed the bank guarantee that OpenIJ collected at the end of 2018. ​If necessary, Geosung Tech will proceed to the arbitration court in Geneva, the ICC, as agreed in the construction contract4. ​Below is the email and extract of the video that I got from him:

Monday, April 15, 2:12 AM

Thank you for your interest in our issue. If you watch the video that I created and posted on Youtube, I think it will help you understand the issue.

https://youtu.be/2gPE5DU-taQ

If possible, it will be helpful if you can download the Youtube video and add your voice narration to the video since there are only subtitles for now. Also, I’m not an expert in making videos, so can you help me if something should be added to the video? Also, in late April and early May, Picket demonstrations will be held in front of the Ship Ijmuiden PR Hall, so please help if possible. We would like to watch the video you shot in January. Please promote our Youtube videos to others. It is linked to several SNS in the Netherlands.

Best Regards, Hyun-Kug Lee GEOSUNG TECH CO., LTD. V. PRESIDENT / SHIP & OFFSHORE SALES DIVISION

4 ​The information is from Cobouw's accusation article "OpenIJ committed a crime with a bank guarantee for lock gates". Cobouw ​is an independent Dutch weekly magazine for t​he ​construction industry​. Cobouw journalist won the prestigious prize for the article about sea lock IJmuiden at the end of 2019. https://www.cobouw.nl/infra/nieuws/2019/09/openij-beging-een-misdaad-met-innen-bankgarantie-sluisdeuren-1 01276435

Figure 3: B​ eyond suffering, pursue new horizons.​ ​(Source: Geosung Tech, 2019)

Figure 4: T​ he history of the sea lock ​gate ​ begun with the Gaduk immersion Tunnel. (Source: Geosung Tech, 2019)

‘The Contract of Sea Lock Gates5:

Foreward

Geosung Tech and OpenIJ are on the eve of writing history, they created a dream together and now this dream is becoming reality. The dream they share is building together the biggest lock gates in the world. Both parties are more than aware the safety of thousands of Dutch citizens lies in their hands. Together they will build a true giant of steel keeping guard and protecting the Dutch inlands by retaining the ongoing threat of flooding for the next 100 years. To build the biggest lock gates in the world trust in each other and respecting each other is essential. Geosung Tech and OpenIJ are convinced that together they are capable to face this challenge. Geosung Tech and OpenIJ both driven by passion for steel structures, putting trust in each other, respecting each other are bundling forces to face this challenge and to succeed. Let mutual trust and connecting dreams be the cornerstone of our future cooperation and this agreement.’

Figure 5: ​ Sea Lock Gates are successfully built and delivered. (Source: Geosung Tech, 2019)

5 https://youtu.be/2gPE5DU-taQ

Figure 6: C​ laim issued by OpenIJ just after gates arrived in the Dutch sea. (Source: Geosung Tech, 2019)

Figure 7: ​ A wind-up doll with the shape of a wolf in sheep’s cloth shows the structure of the layers of the system around the gate. (Source: Geosung Tech, 2019)

Following OpenIJ’s claim for compensation, Geosung requested the sea lock gate be returned, but it could not happen. ‘A new large sea lock is being constructed at the entrance of the North Sea Canal at IJmuiden and it will provide access to the Amsterdam port region’. When the sea lock gate from Korea arrived in the Netherlands, it immediately became a ‘space' attached to the place of the Netherlands. Thus, efforts to bring this object back were no longer valid, since the sea lock gate was already transformed into space. Hoping to get support, Geosung created these images in order to inform and to get the sea lock gate back to Korea. The images above are, therefore, attempts to move back this space to where it was originally.

What does the sea lock gate in conflict look like? The sea lock gate is not seen from one side anymore; it is hidden by the other side. The photographs included within Geosung’s images [Figure 4, Figure 5] were not taken by Geosung themselves but are available on the internet and taken by Rijkswaterstaat, th​e ​Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management​. ​The actual substance of the sea lock gate is no longer with Geosung, but they have the shadow of it. On the other hand, the Netherlands is actively showing certain images of the sea lock gate, which are different from Geosung’s memory. The objects are too clean in the images; the production process is omitted. The objects shown are dismantled, reassembled and connected to another place. Furthermore, besides the first image [Figure 8], they are shown from an entirely non-human perspective. The images presented are mostly taken from an aerial perspective and often by drone. These images emphasize that it is not possible for everyone to take a photograph of the objects/space or to even see them; the public is only allowed to sense the sea lock gate by the images that are presented to them.

1. Floating Object_ Before it becomes the sea lock gate, it is a metal structure.

The following three images were captured from a video provided by the Dutch government department 'Rijkswaterstaat’ regarding ‘Nieuwe Zeesluis IJmuiden’. The video depicts the transportation from Korea to the Netherlands, showing objects that look like scrap metal.

Figure 8: N​ ew sea lock ​gate​ is moved to the outside.​ ​(Source: Rijkswaterstaat, 2017)

Figure 9: L​ oading the sea lock gate on the ship. (Source: Rijkswaterstaat, 2018)

Figure 9 shows the object inside the smooth and clean container boxes. Without knowing exactly what the sea lock looks like, it seems that things are crumpled to fit the standard container size mandated by international law6. At every port the container box looks the same as any other.

6 Alexis Kalagas. “Box Fresh” Migrant Journal, No.3 Flowing Grounds (2016): p.11. The ISO 668, introduced in 1968, classifies and standardizes the size and weight specifications of intermodal freight shipping containers. This international standard regulates both external and internal dimensions, as well as the minimum door opening size. Container ships only take 40-foot and 20-foot containers below deck, plus 45-foot containers above deck. Container boxes are objects in themselves, but they are also anonymous spaces that contain many other things. However, it does not show what different things are inside.

Container boxes containing sea lock gates are placed on the ship. It is relocated from the ground to the deck of the ship.

Figure 10: L​ oading the sea lock gate on the ship.​ (​ Source: Rijkswaterstaat, 2018)

Figure 11: O​ penIJ committed a crime with a bank guarantee for lock gates. (Source: Cobouw, 2019)

In Figure 11, three objects are being carried on the ship. These objects look the same one and other, as if they were copied and pasted digitally. They are placed at equal intervals and in equal status. However, in the future, only two objects will function as a wall and a door. The third one was created as a substitute​—​in case the other two structures fail to function. It is not yet known in the image which one out of the three, in the end, will remain as an object without becoming a space. The ship and the objects become one body while drifting the ocean together for two months. With the constant sound of the ship's engine, its vibrations, and the movement of the waves, they become one with the ocean as well.7

When zooming in the image, it can be seen that ‘Talisman’ is written on the ship. According to the VesselFinder website, Talisman is a Heavy Load Carrier and has been sailing since 1993; currently under the flag of Curacao, a former colony of the Netherlands. As such, ships like these have a fictional identity. This fictional identity is called ‘Flag of Convenience’8. They pretend to be a different nationality, using flags of other countries to avoid responsibility. By doing so, they can avoid regulations and safety standards. They can also reduce operating costs and bypass laws that protect the wages and working conditions of laborers. Thus, the objects in the image are floating between fact and fiction. At the same time they float between reality and virtuality, symbolized by an arrow shown in the image below [Figure 12].

Figure 12: L​ ive location of the ships. (Source: VesselFinder, 2020)

These processes are designed to be invisible. YoungJun Lee explains in his book, ​Machine 9 Critics , ​that the parts that can be seen and the parts that cannot be seen are divided into private spaces (individual living spaces) and public space. Although public space includes industrial facilities and military security facilities, public space is not necessarily divided into physical areas. Criticizing the invisibility of the ocean, Allan Sekula writes in his book ​Fish Story10 that in today’s industrialized world​—​only results are seen and not processes. Logistical operations do not need to (or should not be) shown to today's consumers and citizens.

7 Natascha Libbert. I Went Looking for a Ship, ​The Eriskay Connection,​ 2018. The brain receives 85% less information on board than on land. As a result, the brain shapes accordingly. 8 Daniela Zyman and Cory Scozzari. Allan Sekula: Okeanos, Sternberg Press, 2017. 9 YoungJun Lee. Machine Critics, Korea: Hyunsilbook, 2006. 10 ​Barbera van Kooij​. Fish Story: Allan Sekula, ​Düsseldorf Richter Verlag, 1995. The objects that play a crucial role in disaster prevention in the Netherlands also arrived via the same methods Sekula critiques. These objects eventually arrived at the port of Rotterdam and were unloaded.

Figure 13: L​ oading the sea lock gate on to the ship.​ (​ Source: Rijkswaterstaat, 2019)

As the weather subsided, each object floated one by one from the port of Rotterdam, and was moved directly to the port of IJmuiden where it will ultimately be located.

Figure 14: T​ he first Sea lock ​gate​ arriving in IJmuiden. (Source: Kyulim Kim, 2019) The first Sea lock gate arrived right after I arrived at the port of IJmuiden. It was moving at a very slow speed, it almost seemed like it was not moving at all. This image [Figure 14] is from the video I filmed then. The conversations of the people who gathered to watch this scene were recorded as background audio in the video. The first one does not indicate any of the objects in the images. The second is about a small ship moving the container box. The third conversation talks about the movement of this object.

Conversation 1 Now you win again? They just ran off from this ramp… come!

Conversation 2 What is the back tug boat doing? It takes all the electricity that will be adjusted.

Conversation 3 Where did it come from? In the morning it was in Rotterdam, it came in landwards…

In the run up to its arrival, the mass media reminds people that the world's largest sea lock gate, which will keep their homes from the water for the next hundred years, is being built and is arriving. Then the attention turned into an event, in which people gathered to watch the object arriving in its place. People expect, imagine and give meanings to objects. By arriving at its place, the object gets closer to the stage of space. Within the consciousness of an individual, where their imagination and assumptions take place; the sea lock gate gradually begins to become a space. In their thoughts and the words they say their understanding of its substance slowly shifts. It becomes the state in between object and space. It has been transformed and reassembled after its arrival. 2. Floating Space _A wall and a door

The following images are taken from the drone footage on the website of the port of Amsterdam. As Malkit Shoshan mentioned in her writing11, ‘the intuitive movement of the drone, its sensors and the way it can be controlled from afar allow us to see things not just from above but from all directions; vertically, horizontally, and any angle in between’. It renders the information that is captured from above more articulated and detailed.

Figure 15:R​ emoving temporary walls of the inner lock head. (Source: the port of Amsterdam, 2020)

The port of Amsterdam reported, ‘​The inner lock head has been positioned in its exact position. Despite the gigantic size of the lock gate chamber, the sinking process has been finished'. Part of the sea lock gate is now beginning to form a space​—​be part of the place.

11 Malkit Shoshan. “A Century of War: From the Trench to the Living Space” ​DRONE. Unmanned, Architecture and Security Series, dpr-barcelona, 2018.

Figure 16: S​ ome parts of the sea lock ​gate​. (Source: the port of Amsterdam, 2020)

Nevertheless, most parts of the sea lock gate still remain only objects. They are ​yet to be attached to the place where they will eventually be located when the ​composition of the space is intact.

Figure 17 shows the place where the sea lock gate will be placed, where the sea is dried little by little to make room for the sea lock gate. Huge concrete spaces are now functioning as a working place, but they are only temporary spaces that cannot last forever. Therefore, the spaces visible in this image [Figure 17] will disappear when the sea lock gate eventually becomes functional. Only then will the hidden sea lock gate be visible.

Figure 17: T​ emporary working space for the sea lock gate. (Source: the port of Amsterdam, 2020)

The image [Figure 17] is only read as a construction site which is to prevent the danger of water. However, for nearly a year after the sea lock gate arrived at its destination there was trouble, failure, frustration and ignorance surrounding this object. During this time, at this destination, some parts of the objects become part of the place. The physical connection of this object to IJmuiden led to a change in the livelihood that was beneficial for some but irreversibly negative for others. Thus, on the back of the image there is a question, ‘Where is a safety net for Korean workers while they are building a physical backup system for the Netherlands?’.

‘Sea dike system in the Netherlands is in three layers: Guardian dike, Sleeper dike, and Dreamer dike. A guardian is one that has a direct water-retaining function. These dikes follow the coastline, thereby forming a clear separation between land and sea. A sleeper is on the landward side of the guardian and is meant to hold back the seawater if the guardian fails. The dike once had a direct water-retaining function, but this was lost with the construction of the new guardian. A dreamer serves as water retaining structure when the guardians and sleepers are breached or overflowed by high water. The dreamers are the oldest of the group, 12 and once served as guardians.’

Where is Guardian, Sleeper, and Dreamer for those who built the sea lock gate?

Figure 18: A​ part of the sea lock gate. (Source: the port of Amsterdam, 2020)

The sea lock gate that arrived has become a part of the space which will eventually keep guardian, sleeper, and dreamer of this land. However, some of the parts are floating somewhere else, yet become a boundary and a barrier, to create an inside and an outside.

12Eric-Jan Pleijster and Cees van der Veeken. Dutch Dikes. LOLA Architects, 2014.

Figure 19: T​ he construction site of the sea lock gate. (Source: the port of Amsterdam, 2020)

Figure 20: T​ he new sea lock gate in construction on the left and existing sea lock gate in the middle. (Source: Hans Van Weel)

The sea lock gate will be a wall and a door. In the image [Figure 20], the color of the water is different in the lower section to that of the top, since the sea lock gate is blocking water, functioning as a wall. However, the sea lock gate will eventually open and will also function as a door. According 13 to Bruno Latour , ‘closing the door is not the solution because this would turn it into a wall, walls are a nice invention, but if there were no holes in them there would be no way to get in or out’.

When a sea lock gate opens there is a strong vortex underwater, with fish coming up to the surface and seagulls gathering around it. New water flows in and is mixed with the water which was already locked there. Then the ships that were waiting enter. The sea lock gate will create a new space each time it opens and closes. However, not everything can come into the door.

Figure 21:​ Port of IJmuiden live webcam. (Source: Port of Amsterdam)

13 Bruno Latour. “Where are the Missing Masses? The Sociology of a Few Mundane Artifacts.” In Shaping Technology-Building Society. Studies in Sociotechnical Change, Wiebe Bijker and John Law (editors), MIT Press, Cambridge Mass. p. 225-259, 1992 [new expanded and revised version of article (35) 3. Floating Passage

There are passages that are public, semi-public, semi-private and private. There are passages that are seen, hidden or forbidden. The passage which the sea lock gate opens, is not accessible to everyone except the sailors who will one day pass through it. Although it is accessible through the images from certain cameras, this passage, in fact, is inaccessible to the public. It is an image of connection, but a space of solitude. It is an image of merging but a space of conflict. There, when something passes through this space, the transition occurs.

A transition also occurs during the process of these passage constructions. There is a certain state in the process that is liminal. It is in-between object and space, unfinished and finished, past and present, and present and future. It is monumental but anonymous. Disassembling the passage and looking into the state when it was an object is to recall a forgotten reality, one of a space which does not appear from the finished space itself. For instance, the moving container box and the concrete slab in the middle of the sea create the imagination of its substance. When it is in such a state, as an object, we are outside of the object. Therefore, there is a distance when we observe the object. On the other hand, when it becomes a space, we are inside of it, being part of the space. It leads to the embodied experience of the structure which is an instrument of speed.

Like the IJmuiden sea lock gate, Gaduk immersion tunnel is a passage also made in this way. Gaduk immersion tunnel is an invisible passage which was placed underwater, and therefore, was only visible during the construction process. However, it becomes a visible space for those who pay to access the passage. Gaduck immersion tunnel is a passage where the IJmuiden sea lock gate began its existence. According to Geosung Tech, they first had a connection with the dutch company when they built some of the parts for the tunnel, which ultimately led to them gaining the contract for the IJmuiden sea lock gate.

The Geoga Bridge and Gaduk Undersea Tunnel both began construction in December 2004 and were completed in December 2010. In 1994, under the promise of President Kim Young-sam, a business plan was implemented under the business name of 'Geoje-Busan Connection Road'. The idea was for the road to be responsible for industry, port and logistics​—​reducing the distance from 140 km to 60 km and lowering the cost of logistics by shortening the travel time from 2 hours and 30 minutes to 40 minutes. The road consists of a 3.7km submerged immersion tunnel, connected to a cable-stayed 14 bridge and overground tunnel. To achieve this, a total of 18 tunnel segments were sunk into the sea 15 floor. The deepest-lying segments were positioned at a depth of over 50 meters below sea level.

One of the main reasons that Gaduk Immersion Tunnel became an undersea tunnel instead of a bridge was that this section of the sea had to also be a passage for ships. It’s location is in the operating area of a major naval base, and therefore, if a bridge were to be destroyed by a bombing the Navy's operations would be difficult to carry out.16

14 Wikipedia. “Geoga Bridge” https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EA%B1%B0%EA%B0%80%EB%8C%80%EA%B5%90 15 Strukton Immersion Projects. “Busan Geoje Fixed Link-Korea” http://www.struktonimmersionprojects.com/projects/busan-geoye-fixed-link---korea/ 16 ​Daewoo Engineering & Construction managing director Bo Hyun Yang, https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=259&v=-aykpUulHJo&feature=emb_logo

Figure 22:​ Simulation image of Gaduk Immersion Tunnel. (Source: MBN, 2010)

Figure 23: L​ ocation of Gaduk undersea tunnel.​ (​ Source: Google maps)

The above satellite image [Figure 23] is the location of Gaduk immersion tunnel, as shown on Google Maps. Seen from a bird's eye view, the narrow bridge is extremely thin, cutting through the sea. Eventually, the crack in the sea disappears. There is nothing else other than the ocean. The tunnel disappears in the image. Although this time it makes an actual gap in the water, it cannot be not seen that the tunnel is cracking through the ocean. The arrow is quietly pinpointed in the middle of the sea. 4. Floating Object_ Before it became a tunnel, it was concrete boxes.

The following image [Figure 24] is captured from a documentary on the immersion tunnel, provided by Strukton. This object is an empty object with two holes. These objects, made of 3d images, cannot be weighed but they seem light.

Figure 24: T​ he objects made of 3d images. (Source: Strukton, 2013)

Figure 25: A​ erial photograph of the objects. (Source: Strukton, 2013)

The photograph taken from above [Figure 25] shows a landscape similar to the shipyard, with huge concrete boxes on the ground that appear identical to one and other. They are in the shape of several blocks.

Figure 26: A​ ctual size of the object. (Source: Strukton, 2013)

In Figure 26, the image of the real object, along with the real people, is placed next to the virtual image. In doing so we can realize that the concrete box is a very large object, that is, space. There is a dark empty space with no end. When the workers stop and go back home, and the sound of striking steel vanishes​—​it becomes an immensely dark and static space.

Figure 27: S​ imulation image of moving the object. (Source: Strukton, 2013)

In Figure 27, the object is placed on the water for movement towards the point where it will be permanently located. In fact, it is already half-immersed and moving at very slow speeds with the help of four boats. While moving from one city (Tongyeong) to another (Geoje) the object is seen only from the top plane. The top plane looks like a flat, thin concrete slab on the sea.

Figure 28: F​ loating object. (Source: Strukton, 2013)

A very flat and temporary island. It becomes a wallless space.

Figure 29: S​ imulation image of the objects being connected under the ocean. (Source: Strukton, 2013)

Figure 29 shows a virtual image of these islands sinking below the surface of the sea. Other planes are visible again and it returns into the form of an object. These stapler-shaped objects are connected one by one and eventually become a single object.

Figure 30: I​ nside the object. (Source: Strukton, 2013)

This image shows [Figure 30] the inside of the connected objects, that is, the concrete space under construction. The image seems similar to the underground spaces below an elevated bridge or the basement of a building.

Figure 30 reminds me of a space connected to where I once lived​—t​he underground parking lot of an apartment block constructed by Hyundai in 1996, Guui-dong, Korea. In this space, there was a vast area that was part of a passage from the parking space to the elevator. It was an immense, grey, underground space which connects to other apartment buildings. It was a dark and empty space which consisted of several concrete rooms. The wall of each concrete box was slightly open to one another. As the concrete boxes looked quite similar to each other, it was easy to lose a sense of direction in the space. In the absence of any other noise, there were ​mechanical sounds as well as ​the sound of water running through the pipes ​entangled in the ceiling​—a creepy atmosphere​.​ There was a specific smell of mold in the space; ​a soothing smell that irritates the nose, a smell of tires, and a smell of dust. ​Behind the concrete there are embedded operating systems, ones which run the apartment. It was a hidden space yet still an extension of it. It is extension space, but where time flows differently: ​Static. However, the concrete space in the image will eventually become a tunnel, a space of acceleration itself.

5. Floating Space _ Tunnel

Figure 31: E​ nding credits of the video with the image of the tunnel. (Source: Strukton, 2013)

A car appears in the space and the video ends with the image of the completed tunnel. Finally, the tunnel that started as an object becomes a space. It is a space trapped in the ocean by replacing the space of the sea, little by little. It is the space that is trapped an hour and 50 minutes and space where time flows double17. It is space that always moves forward, but space where the true direction is unknown. Space of ‘a dream, a challenge, and a solution’. However, whose dream was it?

Figure 32: T​ he completion ceremony of Gaduk Undersea Tunnel. (Source: Strukton, 2013)

17 ‘​Travel times between Busan and Geoje have been reduced from more than 2.5 hours to a mere 40 minutes.’ http://www.struktonimmersionprojects.com/projects/busan-geoye-fixed-link---korea/

Seunghoon Yang, who wrote a book based on his experience working at a shipyard in Geoje 18 Island, explains in his book ​Utopia of Heavy Industry Family , ‘On the way back from Geoje island after the interview in the shipyard, the recruiter said that even a year before, they took a boat with interviewees after finishing the interview, but it is a shame that now it changed after the construction of the bridge and tunnel’. Once the bridge and tunnel were built, such short moments of sharing time between the recruiters and interviewees after the interview seem to be gone. Instead, they would take a bus or drive themselves through the bridge and tunnel, where many thoughts will have remained inside them. A sense of place has changed from that of a boat; a view from a bridge is elevated to106 meters, and sight is blocked inside the tunnel. Running on bridges and going into tunnels repeats in this section. The sense of running above the ocean is amplified before and after the moments of blocked sight. People change as the space they pass through changes.

The experience of running through a tunnel is familiar to many people. This sense settled as an image; concrete-covered spaces under orange dim lighting. It is a global landscape. The radio stops and the phone signal gets lost, a space where everything literally stops yet a space of acceleration. The experience of continuously running through the space of an unchanging image, staying in a space that does not change as time passes. Body and space are united, leading to a moment of returning to oneself completely, while the speed limit sign appears from time to time. Showing these numbers at regular intervals calls consciousness to wake up a body accustomed to the speed. At the same time, paradoxically, it demands one to absorb into the space at a very constant speed, under the repeated space. Staring at the invisible end and going into the world of thoughts with white noise is waiting for a space to come after the tunnel. The moment of running through the tunnel is clearly present. However, it leaves the space behind too fast, as if the entire tunnel is an unbearable past. Trying to get out of it quickly, only focusing on the future. There is no present in the tunnel. Only when it is clogged with traffic and the entire tunnel becomes a red space of the brake lights does the driver find the space and the time surrounding them.

Going into Gaduk undersea tunnel is an experience of going into the water. My grandmother ran a public bath in Geoje Island when the tunnel was constructed. It was a communal space, where the unknown all went into the contained water together. The main purpose of the public bath was to allow the skin to get soaked in the water in order to remove old skin easily. What is the boundary between the old skin and the new one? Removing part of the skin is to remove the past and the present, maybe even some parts of the future as well.

18 ​Seunghoon Yang. Utopia of Heavy Industry Family. Korea: Maybooks, 2019.

Figure 33: ​50m World's Longest Immersion Tunnel, Gaduk Undersea Tunnel. (Source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation South Korea, 2020)

In aerial photography from the ​Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation (South Korea), we can see the tunnel stopped at the end of the island. The cars on the road in the image seem to be locked in the space soon after entering the tunnel. Or are cars disappearing into the water. The image does not show where the cars went. Large and small ships are moving in a direction perpendicular to that of the tunnel, crossing the surface of the water where the tunnel and the cars disappear.

Epilogue

'F​ or a long time, the island has always been there. But no one saw the island. Everyone who saw the island had gone to the island. 19 No one came back after leaving for the island.’

‘I​ t happened because the way of the people of the island was different from that of yours20. Even though you were thinking about the people of the islands and dedicating your efforts to the polder, eventually it could not become the common heaven of you and the people of the 21 island. You call it their heaven, and they say it is the kingdom of yours.​’

19 ​Chong Jun Yi. Eardo Island, Korea: Moonji, 1998. The excerpt above is part of the novel ​Eardo Island ​ written by the author Lee Cheong-jun, based on a motif of the legend of Eardo Island. The author said that it is not his intention to introduce the legend of Eardo Island and reveal the identity of the island, but to see how the island has been interfering with and reshaping our lives. He wanted to shed light on the true image of real life, not that of ‘pian’, a world out of reality. He believed that sometimes we encounter a deeper truth through fiction rather than on visible fact. As such, we can find the most desperate aspect of our lives in the conflict between an individual's internal history (who dreams of a free mind) and the reality in which he exists.

20 ‘You’ in the excerpt is indicating the project director in the novel. 21 ​Chong Jun Yi. Your Paradise, Korea: Moonji, 1976. His other novel ​Your Paradise ​ is also based on the motif of Sorok Island. Lepers constructed the polder under the promise of building a paradise, connecting to the mainland from the island that they were isolated. In the beginning of the project it was believed that there was no hidden eagerness behind the project director. Image Source

Figure 1: ​The existing sea lock gate in IJmuiden​ [​ Video] (2019). Video by Kyulim Kim. Figure 2: ​Simulation image of new sea lock ​gate​ [Simulation Image]. Retrieved from https://www.rijkswaterstaat.nl/water/projectenoverzicht/ijmuiden-bouw-nieuwe-grote-zeesluis/videos.aspx Figure 3: ​Beyond suffering, pursue new horizons​ [​ Video] (2019). Retrieved from https://youtu.be/2gPE5DU-taQ Figure 4: ​The history of the sea lock ​gate ​ started from Gaduk immersion Tunnel​ ​[Video] (2019). Retrieved from https://youtu.be/2gPE5DU-taQ Figure 5:​ Sea Lock Gates are successfully built and delivered​ ​[Video] (2019). Retrieved from https://youtu.be/2gPE5DU-taQ Figure 6: ​Claim issued by OpenIJ just after gates arrived in the Dutch sea​ ​[Video] (2019). Retrieved from https://youtu.be/2gPE5DU-taQ Figure 7: ​A wind-up doll with the shape of a wolf in sheep’s cloth shows the structure of the layers of the system around the gate.​ ​[Video] (2019). Retrieved from ​https://youtu.be/2gPE5DU-taQ Figure 8: ​New sea lock ​gate​ is moved to the outside​ ​[Video] (2017). Retrieved from https://www.rijkswaterstaat.nl/water/projectenoverzicht/ijmuiden-bouw-nieuwe-grote-zeesluis/videos.aspx Figure 9: ​Loading the sea lock ​gate​ on the ship [Video] (2018). Retrieved from https://www.rijkswaterstaat.nl/water/projectenoverzicht/ijmuiden-bouw-nieuwe-grote-zeesluis/videos.aspx Figure 10: ​Loading the sea lock ​gate​ on the ship​ ​[Video] (2018). Retrieved from https://www.rijkswaterstaat.nl/water/projectenoverzicht/ijmuiden-bouw-nieuwe-grote-zeesluis/videos.aspx Figure 11: ​OpenIJ committed a crime with a bank guarantee for lock gates [Photograph] (2019). Retrieved from https://www.cobouw.nl/infra/nieuws/2019/09/openij-beging-een-misdaad-met-innen-bankgarantie-sluisdeuren-1 01276435 Figure 12: ​Live location of the ships [Map] (2020). Retrieved from ​https://www.vesselfinder.com/ Figure 13: ​Loading the sea lock ​gate​ on the ship​ ​[Video] (2019). Retrieved from https://www.rijkswaterstaat.nl/water/projectenoverzicht/ijmuiden-bouw-nieuwe-grote-zeesluis/videos.aspx Figure 14: ​The first Sea lock ​gate​ arriving in IJmuiden [Video] (2019). Video by Kyulim Kim. Figure 15:​Removing temporary walls of the inner lock head [Video] (2020). Retrieved from ​https://vimeo.com/381122703 Figure 16: ​Some parts of the sea lock ​gate​ [Video] (2020). Retrieved from ​https://vimeo.com/381122703 Figure 17: ​Temporary working space for the sea lock ​gate​ [Video] (2020). Retrieved from ​https://vimeo.com/381122703 Figure 18: ​A part of the sea lock ​gate​ [Video] (2020). Retrieved from ​https://vimeo.com/381122703 Figure 19: ​The construction site of the sea lock ​gate​ [Video] (2020). Retrieved from ​https://vimeo.com/381122703

Figure 20: ​The new sea lock gate in construction on the left and existing sea lock gate in the middle [Photograph]. Photograph by Hans Van Weel. Figure 21:​ Port of IJmuiden live webcam [Live Webcam] Retrieved from ​https://www.portofamsterdam.com/en/webcam-sealock Figure 22:​ Simulation image of Gaduk Immersion Tunnel [Simulation Image] (2010). Retrieved from ​https://www.mk.co.kr/news/society/view/2010/09/497839/ Figure 23: ​Location of Gaduk undersea tunnel​ ​(Source: Google maps) Retrieved from https://www.google.com/maps/place/35%C2%B001'01.9%22N+128%C2%B046'51.9%22E/@35.0171944,128. 7788946,682m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d35.0171944!4d128.7810833?hl=ko Figure 24: ​The objects made of 3d images [Video] (2013). Retrieved from ​http://www.struktonimmersionprojects.com/projects/busan-geoye-fixed-link---korea/ Figure 25: ​Aerial photograph of the objects [Video] (2013). Retrieved from ​http://www.struktonimmersionprojects.com/projects/busan-geoye-fixed-link---korea/ Figure 26: ​Actual size of the object [Video] (2013). Retrieved from ​http://www.struktonimmersionprojects.com/projects/busan-geoye-fixed-link---korea/ Figure 27: ​Simulation image of moving the object [Video] (2013). Retrieved from ​http://www.struktonimmersionprojects.com/projects/busan-geoye-fixed-link---korea/ Figure 28: ​Floating object [Video] (2013). Retrieved from ​http://www.struktonimmersionprojects.com/projects/busan-geoye-fixed-link---korea/ Figure 29: ​Simulation image of the objects being connected under the ocean [Video] (2013). Retrieved from ​http://www.struktonimmersionprojects.com/projects/busan-geoye-fixed-link---korea/ Figure 30: ​Inside the object [Video] (2013). Retrieved from ​http://www.struktonimmersionprojects.com/projects/busan-geoye-fixed-link---korea/ Figure 31: ​Ending credits of the video with the image of the tunnel [Video] (2013). Retrieved from ​http://www.struktonimmersionprojects.com/projects/busan-geoye-fixed-link---korea/ Figure 32: ​The completion ceremony of Gaduk Undersea Tunnel [Video] (2013). Retrieved from ​http://www.struktonimmersionprojects.com/projects/busan-geoye-fixed-link---korea/ Figure 33: ​50m World's Longest Immersion Tunnel, Gaduk Undersea Tunnel [Video] (2020). Retrieved from ​http://www.molit.go.kr/english/intro.do