Synopsis

Drawing upon the Korean penchant for elaborate public art, A Fool's Errand documents the construction of a recent installation by artists to celebrate the season of Lent and the temporal nature of decay.

Background

In eighteenth-century France, every seventh vernal equinox was celebrated by the creation of elaborate temporary gardens – shadowboxes, designed by the aristocracy for viewing enjoyment by the unclean masses. Also known as fool's gardens, their installation lasted solely during the period of Lent and were demolished on Good Friday as a symbol of Christ's death. Missionaries spread the practice to Asia where it continued until the Second World War.

In 2004, a modern reprise of the event brought landscape architects and artists to Seoul – a sentimental favorite due to the Korean penchant for elaborate public art.

Even as we witness its deconstruction, this garden - which has become our garden - addresses the temporal delicacy of created things. We see it resurrected, not in its botanical flesh, but rather as a specter - one whose tangible shadow guides us through our particular season, as we lunge toward eternity.

Shot on digital video on location in Seoul and edited back home in Los Angeles using Apple Final Cut Pro software. Compositing and motion graphics created with Adobe After Effects. Original musical score created using Apple's Soundtrack software package.