By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter
The new public transit center at Seoul Station has been transformed into an "Art Shelter" that combines art and technology to create a place where citizens can appreciate art and get information while waiting for buses.
Opened in July, the center integrated more than 10 bus stops scattered around the station area and rearranged them into five stops allowing 23 buses to stop simultaneously.
The bus stops, provided by Hyundai Card, are built with power glass and natural resin to secure a wider visual field and stronger durability.
"The Art Shelter is a mixture of art and state-of-the-art technology," an official of Hyundai Card said.
The shelter also works as locative media, providing information and displaying media art. The background of the shelter is composed of more than 3,000 light-emitting diodes (LED) and can convey media art, city information, weather, news and bus service information.
"We wanted to take a different approach toward corporate social responsibility, reflecting the creativity and innovation of Hyundai Card," the card company executive said. "Contributing our capability to culture and design is one of them."
The Art Shelter is a part of Seoul City's "City Gallery Project," which offers a collection of public art downtown and supports the artwork of citizens.
"It is a project to make Seoul a work of art, aiming to be a creative and cultural Seoul," a city official said. "The project will complement the dreary cityscape with public art and try to create a well-being and well-living city."
Another Art Shelter is located in front of the Seoul Museum of History. It is different from the ones around Seoul Station but shares the same name.
Along Jeongdong-gil, next to Deoksu Palace, "street furniture" is featured to provide place of rest and meditation to passersby.
"Radio Jeongdong" is a bench made of steel and equipped with sound from old radio programs. "There are also 16 more art benches installed to make the small road into a walk of culture, history and speculation," the official said.