My idea is about military and graffiti. As I’m joining army soon, through this topic I can show how I feel about national service in Korea and I thought graffiti is nice way to help expressing the feelings in this project. As I set the model of my garment myself, it was not a hard thing to focus on my idea.
Final outcome is consisted in to four layers. Tattoo layers, ROKA t shirt, Uniform and pockets. T shirt is for proud feelings being in military, doing something for my nations, on the other hand tattoo layer which is the most inner layer is about bad memories and traumas people get while they are in military. In my opinion, tattoo is graffiti on the body but graffiti that can’t easily removed like the bad memory in our head so that we can’t run away from that moment. I drew symbolic mark, national flag, ROKA and the date I join and retire. By cutting and ripping the edge of the uniform, I tried to show some tough conditions because I thought while the hard training, the fabric get easily damaged and worn out. Also I painted the edge of one side of the arm in to red to talk about injury. When I saw the photo of my friends lying down on a bed in hospital with his broken leg and heard the news that another friend on mine retired earlier because of the medical issue, I was a shocked and that was the unforgettable moment to me. Lastly, with the pocket layer which is the most outer layer among the all the pieces, that layer means people in military is holding heavy burden every second not only physically but also mentally that bothers and make people tired. Spending couple years away from home, family, friends and everything I want, regardless of my will and the worries about after completing the military service.
I tried to combine the idea of mine and people that can be easily come up with the word ‘military’ for instance roka, the initial of Republic Of Korea Army which became a meme and how my friends in military think and feel, what they experienced.