SueJin Hong explores the interplay between glacial movements, Cold War history, and environmental shifts in Greenland through field recordings, 3D simulations, and archival research. The project examines how frozen landscapes embody both natural and political narratives, investigating remnants of Project Iceworm and the role of Swiss forces in the DMZ. The research creates connections between seemingly disparate locations affected by Cold War-era military strategies.
Circuit is an artistic research project that explores the interplay between glacial movements, Cold War history, and environmental shifts in Greenland. Using field recordings, 3D simulations, and archival research, this project examines how frozen landscapes embody both natural and political narratives.
The project is structured around two key themes:
1. Recording Glacial Sounds & Movements Using Geophones (LOM Geofón) and field recorders (Zoom F6), I capture subsurface glacial movements – a rarely perceived acoustic phenomenon. The recorded soundscapes document ice shifts, crevasse formations, and calving events, creating an auditory archive of climate transformation.
2. Cold War Legacies – Exploring Environmentally and Politically Frozen Land in Parallel Greenland, particularly its ice sheet terrain, was once a strategic Cold War frontier. I investigate remnants of Project Iceworm, a secret U.S. military operation to construct nuclear missile launch sites beneath the Greenland ice sheet, and the role of Swiss forces in the DMZ under the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC). This project examines how geopolitical narratives intertwine with environmental memory, questioning the ways human interventions become embedded in frozen landscapes.
DMZ, NNSC, and Their Relation to Greenland's Cold War Legacy
The Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is one of the most heavily fortified and politically charged borders in the world. Following the Korean War Armistice Agreement (1953), the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC) was established to oversee compliance with the agreement. Switzerland and Sweden were stationed on the South Korean side, while Poland and Czechoslovakia were positioned on the North Korean side.
However, Switzerland's continued presence in the DMZ, even after the original ceasefire mechanisms lost effectiveness, reflects a strategic rather than purely neutral position. The deployment of Swiss forces in the DMZ bolstered Switzerland's global image as a neutral peacekeeper, rather than acting as a passive observer.
While the DMZ became a space of "neutral intervention," Greenland's Cold War role was shaped by a different kind of military presence. During the Cold War, the U.S. constructed Camp Century within Danish-controlled Greenland, presenting it as a research facility. However, its true purpose – as a testing ground for Project Iceworm, a secret nuclear missile program – was concealed from the Danish government.
By drawing connections between the DMZ and the Arctic, this project examines how Cold War-era surveillance, military strategies, and geopolitical optics remain embedded in landscapes, whether through Swiss-led peacekeeping forces in Korea or abandoned U.S. military infrastructure buried beneath Greenland's ice.
Through this work, I seek to highlight the paradox of "neutral" interventions and question how these historical legacies are materialized within environments often perceived as untouched or apolitical.
Place and dates:
Fieldwork & Research (April – May, 2025)
Copenhagen (April 27 – May 1) → GEUS meeting and interview with William Colgan
Nuuk (May 1 – May 6) → Research discussions and interview with Insuk Kim & University of Greenland
Ilulissat (May 6 – 10) → Recording and documenting glacial movements at Ilulissat Icefjord
Qaanaaq (May 10 – 15) → Investigating Cold War sites and Arctic climate impact
Kangerlussuaq (May 15 – 20) → Ice sheet research, geophone field recordings, Science Services collaboration
Post-Production & Web-Based Archive Development (May – December 2025)
Exhibition & Presentation Timeline
1. June 2025 – Kiefer Hablitzel Group Exhibition, Basel
Presentation of the first video work & sound piece in a group exhibition format
2. August 2025 – February 2026 – Solo Exhibition, Kunst(Zeug)Haus, Rapperswil-Jona
3. December 2025 – Web-Based Publication & Research Portal
Weblink: https://hongsuejin.github.io/portfolio/
Project partner / cooperations: Hyeryoung Kim (Artist, 3D Simulation Specialist), William Colgan (Senior Researcher, GEUS – Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland), Insuk Kim (Independent Researcher, Nuuk), Simone Kobler (Director, Kunst(Zeus)Haus), WSL(Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research)