# Cutting Kim: Playful Transgression Through VR Voice Interaction in Public Exhibition Contexts

- Authors: Joonhyung Bae, E. Choi, J. Nam
- Venue: Proc. 18th ACM SIGGRAPH Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques in Asia (SIGGRAPH Asia), Hong Kong, China, Dec. 15–18, 2025
- Year: 2025
- Type: Conference Paper
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3757369.3767596
- Publisher page: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3757369.3767596
- PDF: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gBese_DDujEKKS4lU5rKZCaqfvzgg1ZD/view?usp=drive_link
- Keywords: VR, voice interaction, public exhibition, playful transgression, interactive art
- Page: https://joonhyungbae.com/publication/cutting-kim-2025

## In one sentence

VR artwork that turns the participant's voice — from hum to scream — into a 'sonic sword'; across four public exhibitions it analyses the 'publicly private' paradox of vocal release inside a headset that is also a public spectacle.

목소리(허밍부터 절규까지)를 '소리의 검'으로 바꾸는 VR 작품 〈커팅킴〉. 4번의 공공 전시를 거치며 'VR 헤드셋 속 사적인 발산이 동시에 공적인 구경거리가 되는' 역설을 분석한다.

## Abstract

This paper introduces Cutting Kim, an interactive VR artwork that explores playful transgression by transforming raw vocal utterances—from a hesitant hum to a cathartic scream—into a 'sonic sword,' a spectacular and destructive force. Through an iterative, practice-based methodology spanning four distinct public exhibitions, from workshops to a large-scale cultural festival, the work revealed a central paradox of the 'publicly private' act: the VR headset grants perceived privacy for vocal release yet simultaneously transforms the participant's physical body and voice into a public spectacle. This paper analyzes this complex negotiation between inner liberation and public self-awareness. We argue that by creating such experiences, interactive art can function as a 'rehearsal space' for social possibilities, offering a tangible model for how technology can be used not to control but to liberate the expressive human voice.

(Source: SIGGRAPH Asia 2025 Art Papers (via OpenAlex))

## Key facts

- Iterative practice-based study across 4 public exhibitions (workshops → large cultural festival)
- Concepts: playful transgression, 'publicly private' act, interactive art as a 'rehearsal space'
- SIGGRAPH Asia 2025 Art Papers

## When this paper is relevant

- You design VR interaction or games with voice as the primary input / VR에서 음성(목소리)을 주 입력으로 쓰는 인터랙션·게임을 설계할 때
- You study VR in public exhibitions: participant self-awareness and spectatorship / 공공 전시장에서의 VR 체험 — 관객의 자의식·구경거리 효과 — 를 연구할 때
- You need theory on playful transgression or cathartic release in interactive art / '놀이적 위반(playful transgression)'이나 카타르시스적 발산을 다루는 인터랙티브 아트 이론이 필요할 때
- You want an example of iterative practice-based research across exhibitions / 여러 번의 전시를 반복하며 작품을 다듬는 실천 기반 연구(practice-based research) 방법론의 예가 필요할 때

## Related

- Artwork: https://joonhyungbae.com/art/cutting-kim-2023
- Cutting Kim: VR Voice Interaction Game (2023): https://joonhyungbae.com/papers/cutting-kim-vr-voice-game-2023.md

## How to cite

Joonhyung Bae, E. Choi, J. Nam (2025). Cutting Kim: Playful Transgression Through VR Voice Interaction in Public Exhibition Contexts. Proc. 18th ACM SIGGRAPH Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques in Asia (SIGGRAPH Asia), Hong Kong, China, Dec. 15–18, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1145/3757369.3767596

```bibtex
@inproceedings{Bae2025cutting,
  title = {Cutting Kim: Playful Transgression Through VR Voice Interaction in Public Exhibition Contexts},
  author = {Joonhyung Bae and E. Choi and J. Nam},
  booktitle = {Proc. 18th ACM SIGGRAPH Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques in Asia (SIGGRAPH Asia), Hong Kong, China, Dec. 15–18, 2025},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.1145/3757369.3767596},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1145/3757369.3767596}
}
```