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Sophomore Woo Min-kyung, an interior design major at Dukseong Women's University, presents her ideas on a U.S. Embassy project during her practical interior design class, last Tuesday./ Korea Times Photo by Kim Se-jeong |
By Kim Se-jeong
Staff Reporter
Art students at Dukseong University are adding warmth to Korea-U.S. diplomacy with their creativity.
Last Tuesday, in a dimly lit classroom with a view of the rock atop Mt. Bukhan, 12 sophomore art students gave their PowerPoint presentations on how they would redesign the entrance and lobby area of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul.
"Our theme is high-tech," a student said, as she and her colleague were presenting how they'd transform what they described as the "depressing" atmosphere of the space.
The group is one of seven teams, competing to please their client, the embassy.
Materials were varied, such as metal, wood, marble, tempered glass and bamboo. So were the themes ranging from high-tech to an environmental-friendly embassy.
Among diversity, however, was one element that was commonplace: having a Korean touch to it.
"Fusion, which is what inspired me," one student said. Located in Korea, it's quite conceivable to have some Korean feel, Marga Jann who teaches at the university said. "It also shows interest in Korea, the host country and its culture."
The project was the result of new professor Jann's initiative and acceptance from the embassy, which actually donated $80,000 to the project.
Jann is a visiting professor from the University of Hawaii who teaches interior design at the College of Art in Dukseong. She has been here since March.
She said the idea was generated by her similar experiences in which she did the interior design of American embassies in Paris and Moscow when she was studying in both places.
"I thought it would be nice for the students to do a live project,"Jann said.
She presented the idea to the embassy, received its acceptance and had her students visit the embassy. Jann also assisted the students in developing their ideas and putting them in a portfolio, and also formed the selection committee.
Lisa Vershbow, wife of the U.S. ambassador, will be on the committee, and they will all meet in mid-June to choose their favorite proposal.
Tuesday's presentation reflected the initial stage of presenting conceptual drawings, but in a month, the students will be ready to present replicas with sample materials, the professor said.
Once the tallest building in Korea, the U.S. Embassy was built in 1963. Construction will begin on a new building starting 2012, Jann said, and the student project will be a temporary installation until it moves to its new site in 2016.
skim@koreatimes.co.kr
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