PAIK NAM-JUNE'S ARTWORK BACK ON DISPLAY

[Anchor Lead]

Artist Paik Nam-june's work "The More, The Better" is back on display at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Gwacheon. The art piece has been repaired multiple times so far. After three years of restoration it's finally back.

[Pkg]

An extravagant lighting ceremony begins to the sound of a bell. The moment the lights are turned on, a large monument comes to life. It's artist Paik Nam-june's iconic work "The More, The Better" consisting of 1,003 monitors. Created in time for the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, the artwork had become a representative piece at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. But as monitors began to age one by one, maintaining its original form became a challenge. In response, a massive restoration plan was devised and three years later, the art piece was put on display again on September 15th, the same day it was unveiled back in 1988. More than 730 CRT monitors have been repaired. The remaining 266 that could no longer be used have been replaced with flat-screen monitors.

[Soundbite] Kwon In-cheol(Nat’l Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art) : "To preserve the original form, flat-screen LCD displays were inserted inside the CRT monitor cases."

Cooling devices were also installed to help the artwork survive longer. Eight videos were switched to a digital format for preservation. To ensure its stable operation, the artwork is only turned on four days a week for two hours a day.

[Soundbite] Kwon In-cheol(Nat’l Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art) : "We will continue to secure new and second-hand monitors and conduct a study into other display alternatives to leave the door open for new possibilities."

An exhibition dedicated to the 34-year history of "The More, The Better" has opened to the public at the museum. Visitors can get a glimpse of diverse materials and hear vivid stories from those who knew the renowned artist personally.