In a world that glorifies productivity and proactiveness, visual artist Woopsyang has introduced a unique concept that challenges the norms and encourages people to embrace relaxation. Known for her innovative approach to art, including civic participation performances and installation art, the artist has gained immense global popularity for her initiative that requires the participants to space out for 90 minutes. 

Artist and organizer of Space-out Competitions, Woopsyang, encourages everyone to embrace the art of spacing out. Her name is derived from the English word 'Oops' which is an onomatopoeia used when one is surprised, and ‘Yang’ which is a Korean word for a young woman. (Photo: Woopsyang Company/authorized for use)

For Woopsyang, however, it was only in her mid-twenties that she began her artistic pursuits. The Bucheon University graduate, who majored in industrial design, developed an interest in art while working at an advertising agency and became a self-taught artist after she turned 30, but after four years, she experienced a slump and burnout. 

“Even if I went out to the studio every day, it was hard to stand in front of the canvas, let alone draw a picture. I spent months doing nothing and felt a lot of guilt and anxiety. After getting tired of those feelings, one day, I decided to create a plan of doing nothing. And before I knew, my guilt disappeared, and even if I went out to the studio and did nothing at all, I didn’t feel bad anymore,” Woopsyang shared in an email interview on 5 June.

Despite doing well for a few months, she experienced anxiety again. She pondered over the reason, and her experience of witnessing individuals trapped in the never-ending cycle of busyness — a sight she saw in a subway while returning home from work, led her to the answer and ultimately conceptualize the idea of organizing the Space-out Competition. 

“Everyone around me was working very hard and looking at them made me feel uncomfortable and anxious. I thought maybe they don't want to be idle like me, but they can't stop because they're anxious since everyone around them is also working hard. So, I suddenly thought that wouldn’t it be good if we all gathered in one place and did nothing. While imagining that, I came up with the word ‘spacing out’ without realizing it,” she explained.

The organizers, staff, and the participants pose for a group photograph at the first Space-out Competition organized on 27 October 2014. (Photo: Woopsyang Company/authorized for use)

With this, the first Space-out Competition was organized in 2014 as a way to cheer up busy individuals and promote the message that it is permissible to spend time in idleness. The competition's aim is to provide a respite from the pressure to constantly be productive.

The rules of the competition remain simple. The participants, who are carefully chosen from a pool of applicants, have to sit still for 90 minutes. The winner is determined based on their skills and creativity. Art scores are awarded based on the public’s votes for the most aesthetically pleasing spacing-out performance, while technical scores are derived from heart rates measured at 15-minute intervals. Then, among the ten people with the highest art score, the person whose heart rate gradually decreases or remains stable is declared the winner.

The winner is determined based on the art scores, which are awarded by the public to the most aesthetically pleasing spacing-out performance, and the technical scores, which are derived from heart rates measured at 15-minute intervals. (Photo: Woopsyang Company/authorized for use)

All this while, the organizers consider the health and safety of the participants. When entering the participation zone, they are provided with a uniform number, a player guide, color cards, and a yoga mat. The color cards are used as a tool to communicate as the players are not allowed to speak during the competition. The participants can get a massage with a red card, a cup of water with a blue card, get fanned with a yellow one, and use the black one in case of an emergency or if they wish to quit the contest.

Sharing some hilarious behind-the-scene moments from the competition, Woopsyang narrated, “An interesting scene that I remember is when a team participating in the 2017 Han River Spacing Out Competition made a large banner that was about 3x5m with the words ‘Spacing Out’ [‘멍~’ mong] spelt out on it and used it like a blanket to cover themselves while lying down. There was also an incident where in 2018 a working mom applied in hopes of spacing out from childcare and work, but in the end, she couldn’t participate because of the same reason — she had to take care of her children on the day of the competition.” 

Woopsyang, who acts as a referee during the Space-out events, wishes to participate in the competition someday. (Photo: Woopsyang Company/authorized for use)

While the competition may appear easy to the audience, the participants share different opinions. Woopsyang, who has never participated due to her role as a referee but would want to participate one day, said, “I'm not sure how difficult it is. However, if you look at the interviews of the participants, they say it is more difficult than you would expect, but most said that they had a great time. The reason why I feel it could be difficult is probably because most people have never been idle for such a long time. You might also feel nervous competing in front of so many people. However, most people say that after about 30 minutes they feel comfortable.” 

The winner of the Space-out Competition receives a unique trophy fashioned after Auguste Rodin's famous sculpture ‘The Thinker’ but with a ‘gat’, a traditional Korean hat. The trophy symbolizes the importance of relaxation and contemplation. (Photo: Woopsyang Company/authorized for use)

The winner of the competition gets a distinctive golden trophy fashioned after Auguste Rodin's famous sculpture ‘The Thinker’ but with a ‘gat’, a traditional Korean hat. Explaining the thought behind the design, the artist shared, “I thought spacing out, meditation, and thinking were all the same thing after all, so I used the famous sculpture. Additionally, I put on the traditional Korean hat ‘gat’ because it is worn by scholars, who don’t belong to the working class. Hence, they’re relaxed and are the ones with a lot of time. In the past, you had the time to space out only if you had high status. In that sense, adding the ‘gat’ means that we should stay relaxed like the scholars of the past. In fact, the time to be idle is actually the driving force for developing culture and art.”

Over the years, the Space-out Competition has attracted massive following from international audience as well. The competition has been held in Beijing, Hong Kong, Taipei, and Rotterdam, and has been covered by leading dailies such as the BBC, The Washington Post, Süddeutsche Zeitung, The Guardian, and Chicago Tribune. 

Woopsyang shared her surprise at the initiative’s popularity and said, “It was strange at first that people overseas were also showing interest in this competition because I thought Koreans were the busiest people in the world, but a player from Rotterdam said “We are also living a busier life than in the past. We also work without a day off.” In the end, I think being busy is relative, and many people around the world living in modern times are busier than ever to live in line with the rapidly changing world. In that respect, I think it makes sense why this competition would also gain interest overseas.” 

A group photo from this year’s Space-out Competition organized at Han River in Seoul on 21 May. (Photo: Woopsyang Company/authorized for use)

A group photo from this year’s Space-out Competition organized at Haeundae Beach in Busan on 27 May. (Photo: Woopsyang Company/authorized for use)

With the acceptance of the idea and the love received from everyone, Woopsyang found herself fulfilling her goal with which she started the competition. She was also glad to witness the change in people’s attitude to life.

“Before the Space-out Competition, people thought that it was something they shouldn't do. Even today, teachers and parents scold their children for spacing out, and even at work or among your friends, zoning out isn’t encouraged. But after the competition, people's thoughts gradually changed, and now it has turned into a recommended activity. So, recently, parents have been visiting competitions with their children. This is the biggest change the competition has made. In fact, my purpose of hosting a competition like this is for it to almost be like a medicine for busy people.”

Glimpses from this year’s Space-out Competitions held in Seoul and Busan in May. (Photo: Woopsyang Company/authorized for use)

In the future, the artist hopes to create a ‘World Spacing-Out Day’ where people around the world can stop for 10 minutes a day. By encouraging everyone to embrace the art of spacing out, she hopes to inspire a collective global performance that disrupts the busyness ingrained in our modern society.

Woopsyang reiterated her thoughts about embracing the luxury of time and relishing the quiet moments, in her heartfelt message to the readers of Korea.net. “There are still many people who think that the act of blanking-out or spacing-out competitions is pathetic. To those people, I want to say that when we work hard and earn money, we give ourselves small luxuries. For example, going to a high-class restaurant, buying clothes, or even buying a coffee that is almost the price of an entire meal. I think that if you work hard, you earn that time, but people fill that time they earn with more work. Wouldn't it be nice to have the luxury of time for a cup of coffee? The luxury of free time is spacing out. Dear Korea.net readers, enjoy the luxury of your time which is equivalent to the price of coffee.”

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.