Solitary Confinement Simulation at South Korean Wellness Center Sparks Publication and Artistic Reflection

Tyler Coburn initiated a secretive writing residency at Happitory, a South Korean wellness facility that resembles a prison, where nine writers engaged in 24-hour solitary confinement sessions to create their works. The resulting publication, Solitary (2022), includes dialogues with artist Kyungmook Kim, scholar Woochang Lee, and curator Jiwon Yu. Kim, who endured 15 months in isolation, developed a VR artwork titled 5.25m². Founded in 2013 by Kwon Yong-seok and Noh Jihyang, Happitory provides prison-like wellness experiences. Lee explores philosophical ideas, while Yu discusses the challenges of freelance writing. The book features original texts with strikethroughs. Released by Sternberg Press and Art Sonje Center, a related panel took place on August 20. Coburn also visited Eastern State Penitentiary, the first to implement solitary confinement in 1829, referencing historical figures like Oscar Wilde, Antonio Gramsci, Kim Dae-Jung, Martin Luther King Jr., and Shin Young-bok's Reflections from Prison (1988).