Art and Culture

And now it's time for our daily arts and culture segment with Michelle Kim. Today, Michelle has two very interesting exhibitions to share with us, one dealing with trees and another on ancient Mayan artifacts.

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Hello Michelle

[Reporter : ] Hello Conn-young

So, tell us more about this exhibition.

[Reporter : ] This is an exhibition by artist Lee Gil-rae, who uses copper pipes to replicate the look and feel of pine trees, creating a somber, meditative mood. Let's take a look.

For 20 years, artist Lee Gil-rae has used nature as the theme for sculptural artworks forged out of copper pipes.
For his current solo exhibition at Gallery BK, which runs through September 28th, Lee shows a forest of delicate pine trees that spread out across the gallery.
They crawl up the stark white walls and stretch out into shapes resembling ancient figures from a distant past set adrift in the midst of a desolate city.

[Interview : Lee Gil-rae, Installation Artist] "Trees have historically been imbued with godlike qualities and are a familiar part of our daily lives. That's why I think trees can represent nature as a whole".

To create the texture of the bark of the pine tree, Lee sliced into the copper pipes and then welded them together.
To replicate the natural color of the trees, Lee uses a special method of distressing the metal.
Through his interpretation of an everyday object into art, viewers are invited to contemplate the impermanence of nature, life and humanity.

I would have never known those artworks were made of copper pipes just by looking at the video.

[Reporter : ] I know. It's absolutely amazing how the artist was able to create such detailed artworks with a metal like copper. As you've seen from the video, the leaves and tree bark he created really look like the real thing. I would strongly urge viewers to visit Gallery BK, which is located in Hannam-dong, central Seoul, and take a look at these artworks up close.

Sounds like a great plan for a date with friends or a significant other. Adn I hear that's not the only exhibition you have to share with us today[Reporter : ] That's right. This next exhibition is about the Maya civilization, which prospered for 3,000 years in ancient Mexico and Guatemala before seeming ot disappear completely.
This is the first exhibition about the Maya in Korea. Let's take a look.

The disappearance of the Mayan people was once one of the great mysteries of archeology.
But we've since learned a lot through excavation, language decoding and other discoveries.
Today, the Mayans are known for their fully developed written language, as well as its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems.

Ancient artifacts that portray the Maya civilization are now on display at the National Museum of Korean until the end of October.

It wasn't until the 20th century that the language of the Mayans was first deciphered, which accelerated understanding of the Mayan peoples' beliefs and way of life.
The exhibition attempts to reflect these findings.

From necklaces that show five sacred directions in Maya culture, to incense burners with the face of the Mayan Sun God, these artifacts also reveal aspects of the culture and beliefs of this ancient civilization.
The necklace, for example, was created to reflect the Mayan belief that the world changes according to the sun's movement.

Another artifact depicts the planet Venus, reflecting the Mayan people's belief that Venus brings catastrophe, which led the Mayans to plan their wars according to the movement of Venus.
With more than 200 ancient Mayan artifacts, the exhibition aims to give viewers a window into this mystical civilization.

've only learned about the Maya civilization through textbooks and other written documents. Getting to see the actual artifacts will give me a whole new understanding of the Mayan people and their culture.

[Reporter : ] Definitely. Like you, I've only been able to learn about the Maya through written documents and I'm sure many other people have had the same experience. So this is an opportunity that should not be missed.

I agree. I will definitely go to see it for myself and I'm sure a lot of our viewers will as wellAnd now to wrap things up, you have the events bulletin right[Reporter : ] Yes, I do. Today I have three concerts for you starting with the Global Gathering, featuring the top DJs from around the world. There's also a concert featuring James Morrison and Jung Jae-hyung, and Norah Jones will be visiting Korea in November as part of her tour. Here are the details on today's bulletin.

[Reporter : ed: jenny]
The Global Gathering is expected to heat Korea up in the month of October. Featuring world renowned DJs like David Guetta, Jaguar Skills, East Collective, and more, the event for electronica music fans will be held at Caribbean Bay on the 5th and 6th of October.

Jung Jae-hyung and James Morrison will be performing as part of "The Beautiful Singer-Songwriter Series 2012" at the Yonsei University Amphitheater on October 7th. The program begins with Jung's beautiful piano melodies and ends with the sounds of Morrison's beautiful voice.

Best known for the hit song "Don't Know Why", singer songwriter Norah Jones will be in Korea on the 17th of November for a concert at the Jamsil Indoor Stadium. The concert is part of a worldwide tour celebrating her latest album, "Little Broken Heart", which includes songs like "Happy Pills" and "Say Goodbye".

Thank you for the update

[Reporter : ] My pleasure

SEP 11, 2012

Reporter : dainee@arirang.co.kr