Parasiting
2026 On view
Artist Won Ju Lim
DetailsLaser engraving on glass panels, sound. This installation allows ten individuals at a time. Parasiting is navigable by flashlight. Be mindful as you enter the darkened room. Flashlights are provided at the welcome desk.
Curator Nora N. Khan
Address
101 Chouteau Ave
St. Louis, MO
Site Description
Accessibility: The artwork is in a darkened room and can be viewed with the use of a flashlight. Staff can provide assistance upon request.
Artwork Details
About the Artwork
Won Ju Lim has a multimedia practice grounded in the interactions of sculpture and architecture. Parasiting begins inside a dark room showcasing glass sculptures and ghostly sounds. Guided by the collection of the National Building Arts Center, an architecture artifact repository based in Sauget, IL, Lim traced historic sites across the city. The sites, most of which were demolished, now feature buildings in various states of abandonment and activation: a church, a drive-in theater, a mortuary, a university, an empty lot, as well as train stations, breweries, recycling centers, supermarkets, and restaurants. Lim collected spiderwebs by hand from over fifty of these historically charged locations. Images of the webs are laser-engraved onto glass panels. Alongside the spiderwebs, Lim also gathered “ghost sounds”—sound memories from these spaces—which are activated by light sensors as visitors move through the room.
Credits
Devin Wilson: Fabrication Design Consultant
Kevin Harris: Electrical Designer
Guillermo Bert, LA Laser: Fabricator
Jackson Hescock: Assistant