Art and Culture

And now it's time for our arts and culture update with our Michelle Kim. I hear she has some interesting exhibitions for us today, so let's bring her out to the studio.

Hello Michelle

[Reporter : ] Hello Conn-young

So what do you have for us today

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[Reporter : ] Using a building as the backdrop for an artwork is something that not a lot of artists have done. But an artist in Korea has created a site-specific installation for the Asan Institute for Policy Studies that uses the atrium in the entryway to create an underwater atmosphere for workers and visitors to the space. Let's have a look.

This glass building is normally used as an office for workers, its 14-meter high atrium an imposing steel and glass structure with sunlight streaming in.

But in an installation called "Wave", artist Jinnie Seo has transformed the atrium into an ocean. Inspired by the heavy waves and the back of a turtle, Seo made the installation by covering the geometric spaces in 800 vinyl film sheets in 15 colors. Now the walls shine sunlight on a crystal clear ocean. Viewers taking the elevator from the curved rooftop, down through the atrium to the office floors may feel like they are going on an underwater adventure.

[Interview : Jinnie Seo, Installation Artist] "I wanted the people who work here to feel like they are under water and when they look up at the roof, they can also see the sky".

Because the artwork was installed on a glass structure, the space inside the atrium changes character and color according to the weather and the time of day.

[Interview : Jinnie Seo, Installation Artist] "Having viewers enter my artwork and move around inside is a great experience"

This brilliant idea to use the whole atrium as a canvas allows viewers to walk into the space feeling as if they are walking on a sandy beach, listening to the sound of waves crashing on the shore.

Just yesterday we saw a gallery turned into a work of art, but now a building has been turned into an installation. I feel like the scale is just getting larger and larger.

[Reporter : ] It definitely does seem like it. Jinnie Seo has held quite a number of exhibitions, like one from 2008 called "Storm" and another from 2006 called "Shadow of Line", but this is her biggest installation ever. To make it, she had a lot of professionals from different disciplines helping her, including a graphic designer and a vinyl installer. Because they were using the whole office building, they needed to find ways to make the installation fit the artist's vision but still make it accessible for viewers and workers. In the end, the installation piece, I think, blends very well with the building and makes the workplace look a lot more inviting.

What a great way to utilize this building, I'm sure the workers at the Institute are enjoying the change. And now, what do you have next[Reporter : ] Well, this is about printmaking and lithography. Early Koreans not only had an amazing drawing culture, but they were also excellent woodblock artisans. Now, woodprints made during the Joseon Dynasty and the Japanese colonial era are available for everyone to see and appreciate.

Korea boasts an incredible printing culture, but the products of this craftsmanship are not always obvious.

This scene of King Jeong-jo going to his son Prince Sado's tomb is called "Neung-haeng do".
Because it is such a delicate portrayal of the event, it looks like a drawing,.. but it is actually a lithograph made from a rock carving.

A similar work of art called "Pyongyanggisungdo" shows Pyongyang in the 18th century, with women doing their laundry along the Daedong River. It, too, looks like a drawing but is actually the largest woodprint made during this era.

[Interview : Park Mi-yeon, Curator Gana Art Gallery] "This woodprint shows life in Pyongyang very vividly, which accounts for its historical value. Also, there are not a lot of woodprints available today so it is also a very rare item".

Both works are now on display in an exhibition at Gana Art Gallery that continues through August 5th.
The exhibition features rare gems, including prints from the oldest woodprint in the world -- Mugujunggoangdedaranigyung -- and the world's oldest movable metal print book -- Jikjisimkyung .

Also on display are some 200 prints made by modern Korean woodprint artist Lee Hang-sung and his son Lee Seung-il.

It seems like a very rare collection of artwork. Could you give us a more detailed explanation of these woodprints[Reporter : ] Well at first, the woodprints were used to document royal events and to spread religion. However, by the end of the Joseon Dyansty, as the trade industry developed, a lot more people were using woodprints as decoration as well. These print artworks have definitely not gained as much recognition as paintings and pottery, but I hope that this exhibition will help Koreans and foreigners become more interested in these art forms.

I hope so as well. With so many beautiful, and rare prints, I feel like many people will become interested in seeing this. And now to wrap things up, you have the events bulletin for us, right[Reporter : ] Yes I do. I have two musicals and a music festival for you today. In Daehangno, the musical "Black Mary Poppins" will be showing until this Sunday so make sure to check it out before it ends. You should also get ready for the Paju Folk Festival that will be held in early September and make reservations for "The Brothers were Brave" musical that will be held until October. Here are the details.

[Reporter : ed: jenny] This bulletin features 3 events.

The musical "Black Mary Poppins" is being held at the Daehangno Art 1 Theater through July 29th. This musical mystery thriller tells the story of 4 kids who survive a fire with the help of their nanny Mary Schmitt and follows them after Mary disappears

The 2012 Paju Folk Festival will be held for two days starting September 8th. Held at the Imjingak Pyeonghoa-Nuri Outdoor Concert Hall, the festival will feature an eclectic mix that includes K-pop sensation Lee Ji-eun, folk rock hero Ahn Chi-hwan, Song Chang-sik, and more.

The musical "The Brothers were Brave" will be showing at the Coex Artium Hyundai Art Hall from June 26th to October 1st. The show stars San Deul from the popular K-pop band B1A4.

Thank you for the update

[Reporter : ] My pleasure
Reporter : dainee@arirang.co.kr