Fate at Your Fingertips

Fate at the Fingertips is a series of soft sculptures that reimagine the Korean custom of dol-jab-i—where a
one‐year‐old chooses an object that supposedly foretells their future—to spotlight how little agency many young
Koreans truly have over their life’s trajectory. Although the ritual is meant to celebrate the power of a child’s choice,
in today’s practice, parents often nudge the child toward the object that aligns with their own aspirations,
underscoring persistent parental control amid capitalist pressures.

This project subverts symbols of tradition and authority into playful, whimsical, and pliable forms, suggesting that
imagination can alter imposed expectations. Sewn from the silks typically used for hanbok (traditional Korean
clothing), each object embodies a possible profession or life trajectory. Yet their softness and malleability evoke the
fluid nature of dreams rather than the rigidity of predetermined careers and parental control, inviting viewers to
question who really shapes a child’s fate. In doing so, the work reclaims the ritual not as a prophecy of profession
and authority, but reimagines it as a space for possibility.

Thank you to Professor Isla Hansen and Dr. Harrison Apple for their guidance and support throughout the creation
of this project.

This project was made possible with support from the Frank-Ratchye Further Fund, Microgrant #2024-005.