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Anchovy holding the time

Sangji Yun

Korea

2017

felt, brass, steel, resin, pearl, nylon, cord

The anchovy is a source of food ingredient for the South Korean's table. It is basic side dishes found in almost every lunch box in in our school years. Because it is cheap and tasty. But we haven't valued it. Because we can buy it whenever we want. Sadly, anchovy stocks are in decline now. Because of sea pollution and poaching. I wanted to express Korean daily life in jewelry. Then I thought Anchovy can be the representative thing. From spawning to being fished, anchovy holds the time. The anchovy appears to spawn near the surface of the water. The anchovy is always rubbing against the rock or the net to spawn. Sometimes it dries out and dies on the rock or the net. The anchovy on our table is the survivors of the tough spawning. And they are low down on the food chain. They have to escape from bigger fishes. Other structure (otolith organ) in the anchovy which looks like tree rings bears on how long the anchovy has lived. I expressed the life history of the anchovy. Because the anchovy is one life.

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