2016 Sulwha Cultural Exhibition Once upon a time

At 3:30 PM, only once a day, through a shadow bridge, the Altair and Vega shall be able to meet each other. Inspired from the heartbreaking story of a couple that can be with each other only on the seventh day of July every year, the architect duo created a work of art to present the couple’s earnestness by using the movement of shadows that would create the moment to be seen only once a day. The dynamic move of crows and magpies are translated into light and shadow that change with time to add liveliness of the bridge. Walking along the shadow, visitors can ask themselves about the meaning and significance of the special connections given.
The promising architect couple, Seungtaek Lee and Mijung Lim made their names on the list of the “2016 Young Architect Award” presented by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and was selected as “Uprising Architects of the Year.” The couple graduated Harvard Graduate School of Design Department of Architecture and currently works in the United States and in 2012 was awarded “Young Architect of the Year” by the Architect Association of New York. As the couple is based in the United States, their participation is much anticipated.

When visitors take a walk around Dosan Park, they can find a geometrically shaped bench that would give a decent space to rest. The top sunken part of the bench is the venue of encounter for the Altair and Vega and the bottom part implies personal meanings. The ash gray with faded yellow colors resemble ancient wall paintings making the bridge a more realistic vintage and an ancient atmosphere.
The architect Kyudong Jung graduated from Kyunghee University Department of Architectural Engineering and continued his studies the AA School of Architecture in London. He participated in designing of A Hallucination Fashion Show hosted by the Korean Council in the United Kingdom and in an exhibition booth for the designer Lie Sang Bong.

The wall is visualized in the form of a red heart that attempts to describe fate of the Altair and Vega who cannot help but to look at each other yet find themselves unable to get close. However, the wall is made with countless number of CD conduits to convey messages only through sound. Indeed, the wall may look like it is separating the couple apart, but it attempts to deliver the message that if the couple listens to each other closely, they will be able to have a genuine encounter.
The architect Youngwook O. runs his own architecture studio “Ogisa Design”. O. goes by many names. To the public, he is known as an illustrator, the travel writer “Ogisa” and spouse of the actress, Jiwon Um. After completing his studies in architectural engineering in Yonsei University, he continued his studies in interior design in ELISAVA Barcelona School of Design and Engineering in Spain. The multi-talented artist unleashes his talent in various areas of architecture design, illustration, and travel writing.

With lines of multiple colors, this work attempts to tell stories about energy and order within the universe and makes its audience feel as if they are walking along the Galaxy laid between the Altair and Vega. By installing geometric patterned art work, audiences will get a sensuous experience by being the main character of the folktale.
Gayoung Jun, searches “order” to help her understand the essence of the world, and lay her focus on power and connection that influence such order. Her art world is portrayed in color and sound, conveying her messages based on her belief that “understanding in order will lead to a true understanding of the subject.” Jun’s portfolio includes large-scale installations using light panels, drawing, and paper boxes.

With a plain looking metallic frame, the exhibition work presents the essence of parting, encounter, sorrow and joy of the Altair and Vega. It is added a poem by the poet Jinmok Yoo titled, “Love, Waiting and Being Connected” with combination of typography and drawing that lets the audience relate themselves to the Altair and Vega.
Jimi An studied in Paris, France and is known to be the most active artist who never ceases to create art. An is presenting her perspective through diverse forms of collaboration. She worked with Sanghong Lee for the 2016 Sulwha Cultural Exhibition to introduce her new work of art and present a new type of chemistry between the two artists.
Sanghong Lee completed his study in Korean National University of Arts School of Visual Arts and is known to be a multi-talented artist, having stints as both drawing artist and stage actor. Lee has presented series of attempts and experiments with letters, with interpretation based on a novel perspective so that the audience can appreciate artistic beauty of letters, rather than considering letters as means to convey message and deliver information.

By simultaneously presenting the Galaxy that set the Altair and Vega apart and the bridge of crows and magpies which created the miracle encounter, the exhibition work reconstitutes two different dimensions of space that embrace and complement each other. In order to materialize the different dimensions coexisting in its original space, golden frames are crossed with one another with various colors of various materials added to align light, color and mass. The idea of intersection between the Galaxy and the bridge of crows and magpies are reflected on to the exterior wall of the Sulwhasoo Flagship Store to attract the audience into an organic world where everything is different from one another yet embrace and complement one another.
The installation artist, Sujin Lee, creates psychological and experiential space based on interaction of experience and memory from certain spaces. She participated in multiple projects which tell stories behind creation and vanishment of space through interaction with audience, and reconstitution of space. Since 2014, she has been one the residential artists at Geumchun Art Factory.

While walking along the stairs on the outer wall of Sulwhasoo Flagship Store, visitors can experience a fantastic moment as if they are placed in a foreign space in different time zones. Magic hour refers to a short yet beautiful moment between the time of sunset and complete darkness. The artist wanted the visitors who pass the magic hour created on the stairs of the Sulwhasoo Flagship Store to experience the special moment of the golden age of their lives.
The artist Yeoju Park explores for a space which can be an installation, a flat surface and a space. With her motivation ‘to show something within certain contexts and circumstances’ she has been creating her work of art that stands out in her understanding in space and connection.

On the first floor of Sulwhasoo Flagship Store, two pieces of art furniture with peculiar structure and design will catch the eyes of the visitors. A table that was once divided in two and discarded is now transformed back into its original shape with the help of an external medium. The lighting above the table is made from cloth cut from a wedding dress. Stunningly beautiful yet shining for a short time, the wedding dress becomes a flower that blesses the two people into one.
Fabrikr referring to ‘people who utilize fabrics’ is the design craft duo of Dongkyu Kim and Sungjo Kim. Making use of various materials that are discarded after use, the designer duo pursues “value cycle” that would sublimate used materials into artworks. Their work of art spans from single art objects including art furniture to installation art that cover an entire space. The duo is considered to as the next generation creative artist.

On the third floor of the Sulwhasoo Flagship Store, visitors will encounter a work of art that would stimulate their curiosity by visual, audio and olfactory senses. The art work interprets the reunion of the Altair and Vega by relating to beautiful sound of nature that has been forgotten among people living in urban society.
Joon Kim is a media artist who shares his idea through sound on issues he questions about and observes on. In Germany, where he left to study photography, the media artist expanded his scope of interest to visual and media art. He opened his first exhibition in 2008. Since then, he continues to be active, travelling around Korea, Germany and the United Kingdom. In parallel with creating his work of art, Kim is broadening his scope to areas including education though sound.

A dreamlike atmosphere created by stars that are about to pour down shall overwhelm the audience. The Galaxy that symbolizes the mysterious and symbolic encounter and parting is created into an animation to attract the audience to submerge themselves in the story of the Two Love Stars: the Altair and Vega. The stars, the Altair and Vega, are distant from each other – so much that it takes sixteen light years to finally meet each other. As a way to modernly reinterpret the fate and destiny of the Altair and Vega, the animated story portrays the movement of stars as a metaphor for the existence of time and translates light-years into actual years.
Elly Cho is an artist working in Seoul, New York and London and is one of the Korean artists who exhibited her work of art in the heart of New York, Times Square. She is indeed one of the only two Korean artists to take part in such a special exhibition and continues to make her name by participating in activities including some major government-funded projects.

At the fifth floor rooftop of the Sulwhasoo Flagship Store, visitors will encounter the vacant lattice space filled with one hundred 4cm colored steel plates filling the space with blue waves. The vertical waves of the steel plates create a horizontal continuity and small changes which allow visitors to feel the waves more dynamically. Every hour, the altitude and angle of the sun changes the color of the shades, fostering a dreamy experience.
Jungwan Bae, leader of FriiH, is an architect with unparalleled sense and interpretation of space. Bae acquired his bachelors in MIT and Masters in Columbia University. After his first group exhibition in 2004, he made his name by being selected as the “Artist of Tomorrow” by Sungok Art Museum in 2007. The architect continues to be active while teaching as an adjunct professor at Yonsei University Architecture and a full time lecturer at Andong National University Department of Architecture.

In Korea, natural dyeing artisans refer to artisans who dye textiles by using natural ingredients. The tradition was discontinued for a while until Gwanchae Jeong, the only Intangible Cultural Asset Number 115, continued the legacy and protect the value of Korean traditional culture by using deep blue dye derived from blue grass in textiles.
Jeong learned harvesting and dyeing blue grass during his university years, and while having a period of working as a visiting professor at Korean National University of Cultural Heritage and art teacher at Yeongsanpo Middle School, he did not cease his work in agriculture and dyeing as part of his effort to continue the tradition. As a result of incomparable passion and continuous efforts in continuing the tradition, Jeong is recognized as the Intangible Cultural Asset in natural dyeing, with the title, “The Youngest in Craftwork Area” in 2001.