At MMCA Gwacheon, a tower of screens anchors the spiral ramp. Nam June Paik’s The More, the Better was installed for the 1988 Seoul Olympics and uses 1,003 cathode-ray-tube monitors, four-channel video and a steel framework. The number is commonly connected to 3 October, Korea’s National Foundation Day.
The newest medium ages fastest
CRT televisions were symbols of an electronic future in 1988. Decades later, matching tubes and components became scarce, while heat, failing screens and electrical safety made continuous operation difficult. Copying the video files alone would not preserve the curved glass, flicker, colour and physical weight that shape the work.
Being switched off became part of the history
After a long shutdown, the work returned in 2022 following about three years of conservation and restoration. Replacing everything would keep the image but erase much of the original technology; keeping every failed component would leave no moving image. Conservators had to balance the artist’s intention, material authenticity, safety and public access.
Check the museum’s current operating schedule for the installation, exhibitions, shuttle and closure day. Even when the screens are off, the structure and conservation record remain worth seeing. The essential question is not merely why there are 1,003 sets, but how a museum can keep a technology-based artwork the same work after the technology itself has died.