“At dawn above Gyeongbokgung,
a guardian emerged to protect what must not be forgotten.”
The Tutelar Guardian of Forgotten Tales is the first series of We, We Wish, a three-part media project within Soojin Pray’s lifelong practice The Path of Reweaving (회복의 길 프로젝트). Rooted in Korean shamanic cosmology, the work summons forgotten myths and animal deities into the present through ritual.
As a ritual and media artist and digital healer, she performs healing-inspired ceremonies in sacred sites such as Seonbawi Rock on Mount Inwang at dawn, translating masks, garments, and shamanic tools into contemporary digital images. Inscribed on the blockchain as a spiritual record, the series becomes a digital vessel for intangible heritage—opening a new ritual space where past and present, spirituality and technology quietly meet.
Performed on January 1, 2023 — Seonbawi Rock, Inwangsan, around 5:30 a.m.
Amid ancestral prayers and shamanic breaths, the artist stood at the sacred site.
The ritual was held without a formal audience, in the still dark, as shamans nearby chanted for the new year.
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Photograph taken near Seonbawi, Inwangsan – a sacred site for shamanic rituals
At dawn, beneath the sacred rock,
the artist stood, shamans chanting nearby—
in silence, with offerings of their own
Each item holds a memory—echoes of rites passed down.
The ritual begins. Tools are laid out like offerings—a silence before invocation.
As the guardian moves, shadows stir.
The air thickens with breath and belief.
The ritual unfolds in the quiet of dawn, unseen by any audience—
yet surrounded by shamans offering prayers of their own.
12 Works | Digital Relics
Mask adorns, veils soul
Shaman's Dance, Shadows Defeated
Guardian of Forgotten Tales
Safely Enfolded, Prayers Rise
Peace Descends, Blessings Flow
Graceful Touch, Souls Comforted
Embracing All, Welcoming Spirits
Comfort for the Lost, Guiding Light
Banishing Evil, Spirits Soar
Souls Honored, Wisdom Resonates
Guardians of time
Mask falls, ritual ends
가면을 쓰고, 옛 전설을 감추니
무녀의 춤사위로 그림자를 물리친다
잊혀진 이야기를 지키는 수호자
품어안은 기도가 하늘을 향해 오른다
평화가 내려와 축복처럼 스며드는 달빛 아래
우아한 손길, 마음이 녹아드는 그 순간
모든 생명을 품고, 영혼을 맞이한다
길 잃은 이를 위한 위안과 인도
그림자를 걷어내니 빛이 솟아올라
고요한 진리가 깊이 울리는 이 밤
시간의 수호자들이여
가면을 벗고, 의식은 막을 내린다
The Tutelar Guardian of Forgotten Tales
SooJin Pray
About the Work
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Ritual Tools
Traditional ritual objects, including barah and other instruments, used to cleanse energy and mark sacred space in Korean ceremonies.
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Location: Seonbawi, Inwangsan
A legendary rock on Mount Inwang, long visited by shamans and wish-seekers.
Even today, Seonbawi is regarded as a gateway between this world and the spirit realm.
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Time: Myohsi (5:30–7:30 a.m.)
When yin gives way to yang, and the breath of the universe reawakens.
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Synopsis
At the break of New Year’s Day, a woman arrives to perform a ritual of protection.
Once a shaman, now a healer, she walks alone yet accompanied—
by unseen spirits, ancestral voices, and the murmurs of living breath.
Her ritual does not seek to be seen. It is a silent vow to keep sacred time—