In his series Spectral Geographies, 2022, artist Benjamin Freedman explores the area of Jongno in the city of Seoul using an IPad with LiDAR technology, enabling him to create ghostly peels of found objects and storefronts. These scans are then used as raw materials in the creation of new digital collages which he then animates with artificial light. Influenced by the many overlapping histories existing in the area, Freedman’s video loops question the role digitization plays in the construction of new Metaverse environments.

In November of 2021, the South Korean government announced its ambitious, KRW 7 billion (5.2 million USD) Metaverse project which will include a “Virtual Tourist Zone” and allow visitors the explore digital recreations of popular tourist attractions such as Gwanghwamun Plaza and Deoksugung Palace. In spite of the exciting new possibilities these new environments will undoubtedly provide future audiences, the question remains which spaces will not be selected to be uploaded and what that means. As an environment that has undergone many transformations and hosted countless stories, the Jongno area represents an architectural and historical palimpsest that is often at risk of disappearing due to new urban development. While there are no current plans to include it in the city's Virtual Tourist Zone, this project aims to immortalize the areas inherent beauty found in its bustling, overlapping and often contradictory streets and facades.