Dancing Teddy was first created during an especially cold winter, pronounced by my abstinence from hedonistic lifestyle I had led. In this period of isolation, I found myself yearning for the warmth of a lover and extending itself to the innocent comfort that soft toys provide. 

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This longing led to the creation of a larger-than-life teddy bear, embodying both mythological and modern associations with objects. Inspired by the Greek myth of Pygmalion, whose statue Galatea is brought to life by Aphrodite, I also draw parallels with contemporary iterations, such as love/sex dolls. The contemplation of the distinction between subject and object forms the core of my inquiry.

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More than a comforting figure, the bear functions as a security device as well as a witnessing eye confirming my existence. 

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I was inspired by a Korean reality TV show I Live Alone, where public figures are observed with cameras installed in their homes. The show’s mascot, a teddy bear named Wilson—modelled after the film Cast Away—has a camera in its eye and is often greeted and embraced by the participants, acknowledging their consent to being watched. Growing up watching this show, I imagined myself as one of its subjects, prompting my curiosity about the human desire to be witnessed, especially when alone.

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This raises the question: Do we truly exist if no one is there to perceive us? The need to be witnessed, to have our existence affirmed by another onlooker seems to be an inherit desire as well as fear. Living with others means being ‘seen,’ our lives confirmed as real. In the absence of witnesses, this need grows, echoing the philosophical riddle of a tree falling in the forest without anyone to hear it.

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Dancing Teddy also reflects on South Korea’s molka (hidden camera) epidemic, where secret recordings, often of women, are made in bathrooms and public spaces. These recordings, exploiting the bodies of unwitting subjects, are deeply tied to the country’s conservatism around sexuality and patriarchal values. 

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The emergence of cam girl streamers, who dance for online spectators, represents a form of reclaiming agency in a society where women's bodies are frequently commodified by others. By choosing to monetise their own image, these women shift power away from the historical 'pimps' who exploited female sexuality.

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The bear’s movements mimic the viral #zerotwo dance popularised by South Korean BJs (Broadcast Jockeys) on the live-streaming platform Afreeca TV. I humorously refer to myself as a ‘teddy pimp,’ as the teddy stands in for me, performing and entertaining audiences. I feel exempt from the ethical dilemmas as the teddy is an object—a robot. 

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The term "robot" derives from the Czech word robota, meaning "serf labor" or "drudgery." This prompts further questions: If robots serve us, can they liberate us from labor? And why do we apply human traits to non-human entities?

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Through Dancing Teddy, I explore the tension between visibility and invisibility, the comforting innocence of soft intimacy contrasted with the unsettling threat of invasive surveillance. The bear embodies these themes of observation, desire, and control, inviting us to question our roles as both subjects and objects in a world that continually surveils and commodifies our existence. The work taps into the dual emotions of desire and anxiety: the impulse to be seen and the fear of being forgotten. Ultimately, it asks whether we can ever break free from these power structures or if we, like robots, remain in service to them.

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November 6, 2024