Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Pondering future of traditional ’hanok’ villages

Disruption from excessive tourism calls for attention to policy change By Do Je-hae Can preservation and successful tourism co-exist in famous traditional villages? This was the main topic of discussion among architecture scholars and experts at a recent policy forum organized by the Architecture and Urban Research Institute (AURI). Since being named UNESCO World Heritage Sites last year, two villages known for traditional-style Korean houses, or “hanok,” have been swamped with tourists. Hahoe and Yandong villages, both located in the southern part of the country, are searching for ways to cope with their new status as a major tourism export while maintaining their traditional way of life. "More people are taking an interest in hanok villages and the benefits of living in traditional houses," said Sohn Sae-gwan, president of AURI at a forum held Tuesday at Seoul Museum of History in central Seoul. According to the latest government survey, around 40 percent of the respondents said that they were interested in living in hanok. October is the season of school fi

Oct 18, 2011By Do Je-hae

Emerging international artists share narrative photos

By Lee Hyo-won A group of emerging artists from around the world is holding a photography exhibition in Seoul to tell diverse stories. Photographers of the Seoul International Women’s Association (SIWA) are sharing their latest work in a showcase titled “Stories — by International Emerging Artists” through Oct. 28 at Gallery Namu in Jongno. Participants include Joke Verheersch from Belgium, Julita Wick from Indonesia, Berenice van der Elst of France/Belgium, Lorrie Gomes and Caroline Maryan from the United States, Esther Thelen from the Netherlands and Ann Tae-rang from Korea. Some 20 pieces are on display. As much as it is a group show, gallery-goers can see portraits, landscapes and still lifes featuring a wide range of themes and styles. The collection introduces exotic faces and scenery captured during travel in faraway places like Turkey as well as endearingly familiar shots of Seoul at night. There are also stills that enable the viewer to rediscover beauty in the mundane, such as coins dispersed around a thick moss-covered pool or white paper lanterns wh

Oct 16, 2011By Do Je-hae

Traditional Korean furniture embraces lifestyles

By Chung Ah-young Traditional Korean furniture is low-lying and humble when it stands alone. But when placed with other objects in a “hanok” (traditional Korean house), it shines with architectural, aesthetic, functional and effective qualities. Thus traditional furniture is often dubbed “a miniature of hanok” as it contains some architectural elements to achieve harmony with the surrounding space and environment. The Korea Furniture Museum has evolved from the traditional concept of a museum by displaying their collection in hanok buildings to show the objects’ real functions rather than trap them in glass boxes. Nestled atop Seongbuk-dong, Seoul, the museum in fact consists of 10 hanbok buildings on a vast land area of 6,611 square meters. The museum holds some 2,500 pieces of furniture from the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). It unofficially opened its doors to its neighbors such as foreign ambassadors in 2008 after a 14-year construction period. The items have been collected by Chyung Mi-sook, director of the museum, since the 1970s, as she thinks furniture is

Oct 16, 2011

Portrait Ballerina Sue Jin Kang: art of movement

At 44, dancer feels more alive than ever. “There’s some kind of magic in the ballet, you enter another spiritual world if you can explain it that way.” By Lee Hyo-won This is the first in a series of interviews with international pioneers among Korean artists, to mark the 61st anniversary of The Korea Times that falls on Nov. 1, and is sponsored by the Korea Press Foundation. – ED. STUTTGART, Germany ― Lazy summer days were winding down and there was a crispness in the air. It was going to be one of the last sunny days before the fall showers but the new season was about to begin at the Stuttgart Ballet ― and so its principal dancer Sue Jin Kang could only be found in one place. Kang stood outside the rehearsal room. One could have easily taken her for a budding member of the corps de ballet ― her youthful visage and casual demeanor almost betrayed the image of the glamorous artist, especially as she interrupted the how-do-you-do’s to kiss her husband with girlish glee. But once she set off to warm up in the empty studio, she seemed to morph into someone else, as

Oct 13, 2011

Portrait Dancing between light and shade

By Jesse Chun STUTTGART, Germany — Exquisite light poured through the windows of Sue Jin Kang’s studio, highlighting her every move. The light painted strips of shadow onto her dainty figure, smearing blurry lines from the window frame across the white floor. She danced, completely oblivious of her flirting with the thin line between light and shade. Photographing Kang was a rhythmic experience — running around to capture her moves as she floated like a leaf heading down a stream or lying down on the floor to catch the glimmer in her eyes as she bent down. Capturing the dancer during practice provided a real glimpse into the backbone of her artistry: the empty room where the walls sweat after hours of hard work, the sincerity of the twisted straps of her old practice clothes and the untiring support of her husband, who sat in the corner to appreciate both the candor and art of his blithe beauty, the prima ballerina Sue Jin Kang. Jesse Chun is a fine art photographer whose works have been exhibited and published internationally. Chun earned a bachelor of f

Oct 13, 2011

DJ DOC’s music reborn in ’Street Life’

By Kwon Mee-yoo The music of DJ DOC heats up the stage with powerful rap and choreography. However, this is not a concert, but a new jukebox musical “Street Life,” composed solely of the hip-hop group’s songs. Jukebox musicals often go one of two ways — create a new story with the music like “Mamma Mia!” and “All Shook Up” or interweave the life of the musicians in documentary style like “Jersey Boys.” “Street Life” took a middle path. It is a story of three men who love music, but it is difficult to find biographical clues related to DJ DOC members. The story revolves around Jae-min (played by Lee Jae-one and Kim Tae-hoon), Su-chang (Jung Won-young and Lee Jin-kyu) and Hun (Kang Hong-seok and Ra Jun), working at a night club as a DJ, waiter and tout, respectively, who dream of becoming musicians. They make their debut as a group named Street Life, but the music business proves no bed of roses when they meet a greedy manager. Supporting roles such as the mean agency chief, an androgynous stylist and frantic fans pepper the musical with humor. DJ DOC’s songs blen

Oct 12, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Kansong museum to open fall exhibition

By Chung Ah-young In the tranquil neighborhood in Seongbuk-dong, Seoul, every spring and fall, numerous visitors will patiently line up to tour Kansong Art Museum. The long hours of waiting won’t be minded because it’s the only time that the art museum holds rare antiques exhibitions. Showcasing the progress of folk paintings, including portraits, during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), this season’s exhibit will run from Oct. 16 to 30. Some 100 paintings of 52 Joseon master painters such as Ahn Gyeon and Kim Eun-ho will be displayed. The paintings of the early Joseon period were influenced by Chinese styles — largely that of Zhu Xi’s Neo-Confucianism style that originated from the Song Dynasty (960-1279) — to the extent of imitation. As time passed, Joseon scholar Yi I (1536-1584) developed Zhu Xi’s Neo-Confucianism into Joseon’s ideology, Joseon’s own colors and flavor were created. Since then, Jeong Seon (1676-1759) completed the heyday of the Joseon’s landscape paintings featuring its own geographical traits and society. Using the pseudonym “Gye

Oct 10, 2011

Finest Czech classical music ensembles in Seoul this month

By Do Je-hae Local classical music fans will have a chance this month to hear some of the best ensembles from the Czech Republic. The Prague Philharmonia, one of the foremost orchestras from the Czech Republic, will play two concerts Oct. 22-23 to celebrate the 21st anniversary of diplomatic ties between Korea and the Central European country. They will play works by Rossini, Beethoven, Dvorak and Mozart during the two-day Korean tour, which marks its Asian debut. The orchestra was founded by renowned conductor Jiri Belohlavek in 1994 and under his leadership has become one of the best Czech orchestras with an international reputation. The Prague Philharmonia performs at music festivals in the Czech Republic and regularly appears abroad. The average age of the musicians is currently 34 years. The orchestra has made recordings for a number of labels, including Supraphon, Deutsche Grammophon, EMI and Harmonia Mundi. The orchestra collaborated with world-renowned Korean soprano Sumi Jo for a recent album to commemorate the 25th anniversary of her international debut.

Oct 9, 2011By Do Je-hae

Weekender Lee Ufan: art of encounter in New York

Artist-philosopher converses via Guggenheim retrospective: Stones and iron rods “stretch into the realms of the universe, to become clumps of time and a channel for conversation.” By Lee Hyo-won NEW YORK — Music compositions are often considered incomplete in and of themselves. Only when they reach the listener through the act of performance do they find their full meaning. Lee Ufan strives to achieve such “art of encounter” through his creations. Aside from wishing to become a composer as a boy and still secretly envying musicians, a fact he revealed during this recent interview with The Korea Times, to the surprise of even his assistant, Lee’s latest exhibition, “Lee Ufan: Marking Infinity,” at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, was designed to evoke discourse with visitors in a way performance art often does. “My work, whether it be a sculpture, painting or poem, is never complete; it constantly moves to become whole as it reaches the viewer and this is why it remains alive,” Lee said, ahead of the show’s closing last week after a three-month run.

Oct 6, 2011

Concerts, museums and theater

Classicial Concerts Berliner Philharmoniker with Simon Rattle Seoul Arts Center* Sejong Performing Arts Center* (See ‘Venues’ on the right for more information) Nov. 15 and 16 Berliner Philharmoniker will again visit Korea. In 2005 when the orchestra held a concert in Korea for the first time in 20 years, the ensemble promised it would hold a triennial concert for Korean fans. “Symphony No. 9 in D major” by G. Mahler and “Symphony No. 9 in D minor” by A. Bruckner will be played under the baton of conductor Sir Simon Rattle. Tickets cost 50,000 to 450,000 won. For more information, call (02) 6303-7700 or (02) 580-1300 (Seoul Arts Center). Prague Philharmonia Seoul Arts Center* Oct 22-23 Since its establishment in 1994, this young orchestra, best known as the classical musicians much loved by Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti, has received much attention from world experts with official support from the city of Prague. The orchestra is planning to entertain Korean fans during Prague Day in Seoul, an event designed to celebrate the 20th anniversary of diplomati