Meet the Artists - Rosa Sungjoo Park
About: Rosa Sungjoo Park is a media artist and sound designer whose research interest is centered on the study of the physicality of sound, psychoacoustics, algorithmic composition, experimental film and sound, and expanded cinema. Park’s creative practice is deeply grounded in her cultural identity, memories, and religion. She has produced and presented a large number of works that deal with Korean traditional rituals, Korean shamanism, acoustic memories, and the nature of life and death. Park’s work has been exhibited and performed in galleries, theaters, and conferences in the United States, Canada, Austria, England, and South Korea. Park holds master’s degrees in Digital + Media (DM) from Rhode Island School of Design, Visual Arts from the University of British Columbia Okanagan, and Visual Communication Design from Seoul National University. She currently serves as an Assistant Professor in the School of Cinema at San Francisco State University, where she teaches courses in sound design and production, interactive cinema, and experimental filmmaking.
How do you describe your practice?
I am a media artist and sound designer whose research centers on the physicality of sound, psychoacoustics, soundscape ecology, electronic media, and expanded cinema. My extensive body of work includes sound sculptures and multimedia installations that explore themes of representation, cultural identity, belonging, power dynamics, and the politics of identification. I blend sound with these rich themes, approaching my creative work as an act of reverence, remembrance, and reconciliation.
What are your influences, what inspires you?
I draw inspiration from the philosophical and meditative sound work and compositions of influential figures such as Alvin Lucier, John Cage, Pauline Oliveros, Bernhard Leitner, and R. Murray Schafer. Their innovative approaches to sound have deeply influenced my creative practice. In my work, I employ sound as an artistic medium to explore, unpack, and challenge the themes of diasporic identity, memory, ritual, and spirituality. I seek to create immersive experiences that invite the audience to contemplate and evoke a sense of connection to both the personal and collective aspects of human experience.
Where are you based and what is your background in terms of education?
I am based in the San Francisco Bay Area, where I am immersed in its diverse cultural heritage and vibrant arts venues. I earned master’s degrees in Digital + Media from Rhode Island School of Design, Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of British Columbia Okanagan, and Visual Communication Design from Seoul National University. Through my education, I learned innovative approaches to incorporating sound into different mediums, crafting immersive experiences that resonate with audiences on a personal and spiritual level. The liberating and inspiring environment I experienced has fueled my creativity, allowing me to explore the intersection of art, technology, and spirituality in my sound projects.
What does engaging with nature mean to you as an artist?
Engaging with nature means immersing myself in the organic sounds, pulses, textures, and rhythms of the natural world and translating my reflections into visual or tangible forms, which to me is a powerful healing process. Incorporating natural elements into my sound sculptures and installations allows me to delve into the concept of soundscape ecology—how sounds within a landscape interact and influence one another. This involves understanding and representing the acoustic environment in ways that raise awareness about its generosity and fragility, thereby highlighting our impact on it. Through the Sensing the Forest project, I aim to encourage a more thoughtful interaction with our natural environment through an interactive sound installation that can evoke a deep sensory experience and influence the way we think about the human-nature relationship.
What does it mean to be selected for the summer school?
Being selected for the Sensing the Forest summer school is a profound honor and a pivotal moment in my career as a sound artist who focuses on the interplay between sound, culture, and environment. It affirms that my work resonates with current environmental and artistic discourses in the field, highlighting the urgency and beauty of ecological awareness and preservation. This engagement not only provides an opportunity to reach a wider audience but also places me in dialogue with other artists, scientists, and researchers whose work challenges, inspires, and pushes the boundaries of contemporary art forms for the environment. Through the exhibition, I look forward to contributing to a crucial conversation on sustainability and our sensory and conceptual connection to the natural world around us.