Past the end again 09:47… I remain a dreaming child

The picture book '09:47' is titled after the visual representation of an environmental crisis level, known as the 'Environmental Crisis Clock'. On the global environmental crisis clock, 12 o'clock signifies humanity's extinction. The book presents various time instances that are linked together by an important device. The picture book unfolds the world of the multiverse (multiverse) centered around the '09:47' time instance, similar to the movie 'Everywhere All at Once'.

At 09:47, the child misses their pacifier, which is a comfort object. As time passes, at 11:50, the child discovers a sea creature toy and jumps into the water. At the worst time, 12:00, the child finds themselves floating in an underwater world, discovering a ship on the surface. However, it turns out to be the very ship the child had just let go.

The moment the child returns to the ship is the exact 09:47, marking the beginning and end of a single event, occurring in a time-space that differs from the ship above. In this book, 09:47 represents the author's desperation for addressing the crisis and serves as a turning point to reverse it. The author, Lee Ik-hun, creates the narrative by first drawing the illustrations and then weaving the story around them.

He spends time trying different possibilities without being constrained by time limitations. He often describes this process as 'play'. The illustrations are created through sketching with a pen and inking them in watercolor, resulting in high-density images. The lack of clarity in the images, while aiming for readability, contributes to a sense of realist and fantastic elements blending seamlessly in the illustrations.

This concept is referred to as 'fantastical realism' in the literary world. This book shares the same characteristic as the author's previous works, with the illustrations being overly realistic, but fantastical situations being integrated into them without any boundaries. This is known as 'fantastical realism' in the criticism terminology.

So far, the author has written four picture books, which collectively form what he calls a 'four-part quiver'. In all of them, the presence of a compass is evident. The author has often expressed that the compass symbolizes protection for future generations. It could be interpreted as a means to hold onto hope during crisis times.

The other recurring theme in his works is the presence of a child. In the dystopian narratives, the savior figure is always a child. In '09:47', the child discovers the compass amidst the underwater world, marking the beginning of a play that starts from the end of civilization. To the child, the adult is an individual possessing the essence of humanity's fallen nature.

The endless human desires led to the end of everything, but the child remains to dream. The author's works are also gaining attention in the 'cross-over' zone, expanding their work beyond the realm of picture books. His works have been contacted by galleries in London, Rome, Copenhagen, and New York following exhibitions from social media.

An upcoming domestic exhibition titled 'Groundsakso East' will open in Seoul's Gangjin-gu on November 29th.