Art & Life with Narae Kim

Today we’d like to introduce you to Narae Kim.

Narae, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
Ever since I can remember, I have always been fascinated by human nature and the world that surrounds us that informs our daily lives. I am from Seoul, a sprawling city with 10 million inhabitants. A place where you encounter thousands of people in a single day. Growing up, my friends and I would go out to the local mall and engage in people watching. We would sit in a coffee shop for hours at a time to craft our narratives and building backstory from what we saw and present our stories to one another when they were finished. After studying Spatial Design and Psychology at Ewha Womans University, I wanted to explore the larger world outside South Korea, interact with different people, and broaden my horizons. I came to Los Angeles, got my master’s degree at CalArts, co-founded a company with an amazing team. Together we have created Virtual Reality’s first live action film using light-field technology, and been awarded and presented at CES, Cannes Film Festival and Busan International Film Festival. Recently we created Flowly, a VR app for pain and anxiety relief. With Flowly, I am designing comfort spaces in Virtual Reality for people living with chronic pain, anxiety, and stress. What makes me most happy these days is hearing from the users of our product on how our work has improved their quality of life.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I am a visual artist and designer working in Virtual Reality, immersive experiences, and animation. My primary focus is Flowly, a smartphone app that offers Virtual Reality experiences for pain and anxiety relief. Each VR experience utilizes biofeedback to help users better regulate pain, anxiety, stress, and improve overall physical and mental health.

What is amazing about Virtual Reality is how relaxation training – biofeedback, a practice which has been around for decades, can not only be harnessed and simplified for the average user, but it can also be visualized in ways never before possible. Not only can this technology provide easy reference to guide users in their daily sessions, but it is now possible for these virtual worlds to act as a mirror for what is going on inside users’ bodies in real-time through changes in the environment of these virtual worlds, such as flowers blossoming, changes in sky color, and even the appearance of flocks of birds to signify peace and stability within.

I continue to take inspiration from the world around me and try to remain sensitive to the emotions and energy of those in my personal and professional life. Accepting who you are and being yourself can be extremely difficult, especially in difficult times. I aim to provide comfort, relief and healing through my art and I hope that this endeavor will lead to some lasting and positive change.

In your view, what is the biggest issue artists have to deal with?
I feel that being genuine, being open to yourself get harder in this society. I believe that as artists, we need to be true, be courageous, be pure and be honest. I know that it needs constant challenges to the world around us, but let’s keep being ourselves and making art.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
Flowly, your VR app for pain and anxiety, launches in a few weeks in the Apple App Store. Visit www.flowly.world for early-access and more information.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kimnarae.com / www.flowly.world

Image Credit:
Ciaran Vejby, Narae Kim, Tamadé Inc

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