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Boston Globe

At PEM, taking shelter seriously — and fantasies, too

The building in the photographic part of the show is called Evergreen Tower. It's an apartment house in Seoul (Jung is Korean). In 2001, he posted a message in a hallway there: 'An artist will take a portrait of your family for free. Eligible: any family of two or more living in Evergreen Tower.' The 32 families shown here took him up on the offer. Jung shot all the photographs straight on, in the living room, windows in the background. Beyond that, he let the sitters decide how to arrange themselves: what to wear, which items to be seen with, how casual or formal their manner. This is no shelter or fashion shoot, with an art director in charge. Rather, it's the sitters who handle art direction. As Jung intends, each photograph is a collaboration between them and him. Advertisement Jung Yeondoo, from the series "Evergreen Tower," 2001. Jung Yeondoo The apartments would seem to share the same design. The layout and size of the living rooms appear identical, as do the floor-to-ceiling windows in the background. The furnishings vary, of course, as do the people. The resulting tension between repetition and variation lends 'Evergreen Tower' much of its fascination, though maybe even more comes from the snoop factor. It's hard to resist getting a peek at the details of other people's domestic lives. Advertisement No socioeconomic information on the subjects is given. Based on the furnishings, residents would appear to be affluent. Based on the relatively modest size of the space, they would not appear to be wealthy. Most of the families have four members, a few have more, and one wonders how cramped the living quarters might get. One wonders if the apartments are uniform in size. What is uniform in size are the photographs: 32 inches by 22 inches. Jung Yeondoo, from the series "Evergreen Tower," 2001. Jung Yeondoo What most definitely isn't uniform are the furnishings. One apartment has a crucifix on the wall. Some have artworks. Most don't. Many have large-screen TVs. (Remember this was almost 25 years ago, so they were still a big deal.) One has a piece of exercise equipment in the foreground. Curtains are usually open, but in a few of the photographs they're drawn. All of the living rooms have the same overhead light — except a few of them don't have a fixture covering them. The compare-and-contrast appeal is considerable. Jung Yeondoo, from "Bewitched," 2001–ongoing. Jung Yeondoo Jung Yeondoo, from "Bewitched," 2001–ongoing. Jung Yeondoo With 'Bewitched,' the video, compare-and-contrast is central to the enterprise. Starting in 2001, Jung began asking people a simple question likely to elicit complicated answers: 'What is your dream?' He's been asking it ever since: The project is ongoing. This version runs 22 minutes and 30 seconds. Presumably there's one that runs a lot longer than that. The title is a nod to the Advertisement Jung Yeondoo, from "Bewitched," 2001–ongoing. Jung Yeondoo Jung Yeondoo, from "Bewitched," 2001–ongoing. Jung Yeondoo With his subjects' cooperation, Jung would shoot them at work or in some other aspect of daily life. He then shot them in the context of the life they aspire to. In an effective cinematic touch, the image of reality dissolves into that of fantasy. The size of the projected images is 48 inches by 60 inches, which further adds to the cinematic effect. A gas station attendant, nozzle in hand, turns into a race car driver. A waiter becomes a singer in an old-fashioned honky-tonk. A woman mopping up in an ice cream parlor shifts into a dog-sled driver, holding a harpoon, no less. A bicycle delivery driver is transformed into a maitre d' in a fancy restaurant. Might the waiter who becomes a singer work for him? The transformations take many forms, often overlapping: geographic, economic, vocational, familial. All involve status. The nature of the transformations would be clearer if Jung provided any background information. Perhaps it's better, though, without any. That makes it easier for viewers to superimpose their own bewitching dreams on those of the people in the video. As with 'Evergreen Tower,' the various details seen are so interesting. But the true interest is the universality of dreaming. It's not just Jung's subjects in 'Building Dreams' who are dream-building. JUNG YEONDOO: BUILDING DREAMS At Peabody Essex Museum, 161 Essex St., Salem, through Jan. 26. 978-745-9500, Mark Feeney can be reached at