Lifestyle - The Korea Times

’Hanji’ art produces a picture without paint or brush

By Chung Ah-young It might be hard to imagine but “hanji” (traditional Korean mulberry paper) can turn into a wonderful picture without using a brush and paint. The hanji paper art shows how a deft touch can be more delicate than any other tools. The artworks are produced by tearing up a variety of colorful hanji and pasting them together. The paper is torn onto layers to express light and shadow, to imbue color and shape. Cho Su-jung, a traditional paper artist, believes that hanji artworks can portray anything she wants from abstract to still-life paintings that require sophisticated and delicate paper tearing techniques. “I can make the works resemble watercolors or oil paintings simply using hanji pieces of a variety of colors and thickness. I can freely use the colorful hanji like the paints to express what I want,” Cho said in an interview with The Korea Times. Cho, who started the traditional paper art some 30 years ago, recently opened the Cho Su-jung Korean Paper Art Gallery to showcase her artworks in Daechi-dong, southern Seoul. She is the first artist to

Sep 19, 2011

Folk museum enlightens children through Philippine culture

By Chung Ah-young To encourage children to understand diverse cultures, the Children’s Museum of the National Folk Museum of Korea has prepared the “Philippine Culture Discovery Box” to open on Sept. 20. Following the“Vietnamese Culture Discovery Box (Xin zhao (Hello) Vietnam)” and the “Mongolian Culture Discovery Box (Sen beno (Hello) Mongolia)” in 2010, the museum’s series aims to provide a window into the variety and range of lifestyles in the world especially for children. Some 1.2 million foreigners live in Korea but they often face conflict stemming from cultural misunderstandings. In this growing multicultural society, it is important for children to be exposed to other cultures. The “Philippine Culture Discovery Box (Kumusta (Hello) Philippines)” is a kind of a “moving museum,” containing various cultural and educational materials designed to be lent to multi-cultural institutions, schools, museums, and libraries all over the country to highlight the cultural content of the country concerned. Through the box, children can experience Philippine history, natu

Sep 18, 2011

Ballet as never seen before: cinematic productions to hit stages

By Lee Hyo-won Korea has become an exciting place for ballet as it has emerged as one of the most popular forms of stage entertainment here. Earlier this month, the Seoul-based Universal Ballet Company took its sell-out rendition of “Giselle” on a tour across Japan, and now fans can look forward to two cinematic productions on the local stage. The National Theater of Korea has invited China’s Liaoning Ballet to present the sweeping epic film-turned-ballet “The Last Emperor” this week, while the Korea National Ballet will team up with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra for their version of “Romeo and Juliet” next month. Cinematic epic “The Last Emperor” will be onstage Tuesday and Wednesday in Seoul as part of the 5th World Festival of National Theaters. Made in collaboration with Germany’s Stuttgart Ballet, it is reputed as one of China’s signature pieces in the genre alongside the National Ballet of China’s “Raise the Red Lantern” and Shanghai Ballet Company’s “The White Haired Girl.” As its name suggests the production chronicles the dramatic life of Puyi, who asc

Sep 18, 2011

Clubs, art exhibitions and sports games

Clubs Underlounge Seoul Hongdae or Hongik University Area This is the local club of a hip Japanese chain that also has a branch in Shanghai. Located in the famous clubbing area Hongdae, it’s all flashy with loud music and lights. Spacious, with a supersized mirror ball hanging over your head, DJs from near and far make music while you hang out at the bar or in classy private rooms. Located near the main entrance of Hongik University. Call (02) 325-5715 or visit www.underlounge.kr. Boutique Club 52 Itaewon Once called Function inside Macaroni Market, Club 52 boasts a chic and modern interior with the DJ spinning the beats for the hippest crowd from the center of the dance floor. Featuring top DJs from both home and abroad, two bars inside the club serving the coolest cocktails including some made with Hendrick’s gin, and a high-class interior, Club 52 is always the place for good times. Club Volume Itaewon Located in the Crown Hotel near Noksapyeong Station, Club Volume offers the finest venue for specially themed weekly events and talented international DJ

Sep 16, 2011

Concerts, museums and theater

Classicial Concerts Il Gardellino LG Arts Center* (See ‘Venues’ on the right for more information) Oct. 2 World-famous Baroque ensemble Il Gardellino will hit the stage for the first time in Korea. Founded in Belgium in 1988, the group borrows its name from Vivaldi’s flute concerto and features the traverso, oboe, harpsichord, violin and viola. Oboist and leader Marcel Ponseel will play Alessandro Marcello’s “Oboe Concerto in D minor.” Tickets cost 30,000 to 70,000 won. For more information, call (02) 2005-0114. Andrei Gavrilov Piano Recital Seoul Arts Center* Sept. 24 Russian pianist Andrei Gavrilov will be performing on Sept. 24 at the Seoul Arts Center after holding over 60 concerts in Russia. Gavrilov visited Korea in 2003 and performed "French Suites” by J.S. Bach at that time. In addition to this, he was chosen as one of the great pianists of the 20th century by the Philips Music Group. The program for this concert consists of "Selection from Chopin Nocturnes" and "Prokofiev Piano Sonata No. 8 in Bb ('War Sonata no.3'), Op. 84." Tickets cost 40,000 to 120,00

Sep 16, 2011

First photo marathon in Korea due Sept. 24

By Kwon Mee-yoo Exercise creativity for 24 hours straight in the Grundfos Photo Marathon 2011, taking place on Sept. 24. The Embassy of Denmark in Korea will hold the first photo marathon event in Korea together with the SLR Club, an online community of photographers. A photo marathon is a limited-time photo-taking event. Participants have 24 hours to take five photos inspired by five themes which will be announced on the day. They are then required to submit five photos on each theme. The theme for this year’s Grundfos Photo Marathon will be announced on SLR Club’s website at midnight, Sept. 23. Only pictures taken and uploaded to the SLR Club website within the next 24 hours are eligible for the contest. “The themes are very general and require no preparation by participants. Just a camera and some inspiration,” said Lee Jae-mi of the Embassy of Denmark. The judges of this event are Baek Young-cheol, former director of the Korea Advertising Photographers Association, Jin Dong-sun, head of the Modern Photograph Research Center, Yang Hyun-moh, president of IL Studi

Sep 14, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Scars behind beauty of Othoniel’s artworks at ’My Way’

By Kwon Mee-yoo Jean-Michel Othoniel’s retrospective “My Way,” being held at Plateau in central Seoul, portrays the beautiful yet scarred inner side of the French artist. “‘My Way’ unveils my poetic and fragile choices. This exhibition is a personal journey and I talk to myself as well as to the world and the others,” Othoniel said during a press conference for the retrospective. “Lacan’s Knot,” “The Great Double Lacan’s Knot” and “The Self-Standing Great Knot” are on display at the glass pavilion of Plateau, which is located in Taepyeong-no, Jung-gu, Seoul. The natural light pouring into the gallery creates a unique atmosphere with the bright, colorful glass bead works. Othoniel’s works are on display with Rodin’s “The Gates of Hell” and “The Burghers of Calais,” permanents at the art museum. “This room identifies two important themes in my work — the importance of using space and light and the relationship between history and culture,” the artist said. “Rodin’s strong and virile work occupies a different field which is not mine.” Born in St. Etienne in 1964

Sep 14, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

English signs at temples lack precision

By Do Je-hae The nation’s Buddhist temples are major tourist attractions for foreigners, who often rely on English versions of Korean signs to learn about the temples they are visiting. The need to enhance the accuracy of these sign translations is becoming more apparent as the templestay program heads into its 10th year in 2012. The program has emerged as one of the most successful tourism campaigns since its inception in 2002. An expert in the missionary work of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism says that to improve the English translations of temple signs the Korean versions need fixing first. “In many temples, the problem starts with the inadequate original texts in Korean. In the process of translating such flawed works into English, we end up with many errors and misinterpretations,” Bae Kwang-shik, president of the International Dharma Instructors’ Association (IDIA), said during a recent interview with The Korea Times. One of the key initiatives of the affiliate organization of the Missionary Division of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism is to publish a definit

Sep 13, 2011By Do Je-hae

Musical portrays a missing prince at royal palace

By Kwon Mee-yoo Delve into the musical of a missing prince and a heart-wrenching love story at Gyeonghui Palace in central Seoul with a cool autumn breeze. Written by Han A-reum and directed by Seo Jae-hyeong of theater troupe Jukdorok Dalinda, which means running until death in Korean, "Prince Puzzle" premiered as a play in 2005 and was turned into a musical last year. Seo and Han are colleagues as well as husband and wife. The musical revolves around a crown prince who went missing in the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) and people related to the disappearance including the king, queen, court lady Choi, chief eunuch Ha, eunuch Gu-dong and queen’s handmaiden Ja-suk. While investigating the prince’s disappearance, it turns out that Gu-dong and Ja-suk had left their places. Choi presses to discover why, but finds that Ja-suk is pregnant with the king's baby. Meanwhile, the envious queen suspects a relationship between Ja-suk and Gu-dong. Han said she first came up with a story of the president’s son going missing in modern times. “If something like that happens, all people

Sep 9, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Classical concerts

Classicial Concerts Il Gardellino LG Arts Center* (See ‘Venues’ on the right for more information) Oct. 2 World-famous Baroque ensemble Il Gardellino will hit the stage for the first time in Korea. Founded in Belgium in 1988, the group borrows its name from Vivaldi’s flute concerto and features the traverso, oboe, harpsichord, violin and viola. Oboist and leader Marcel Ponseel will play Alessandro Marcello’s “Oboe Concerto in D minor.” Tickets cost 30,000 to 70,000 won. For more information, call (02) 2005-0114. Russell Sherman Piano Recital Seoul Arts Center* Sept. 27 American pianist Russell Sherman is set to hold a recital on Sept. 27 at the Seoul Arts Center. Since he made his debut at the age of 15 in New York, Sherman’s passion for classical music has endured over 65 years, writing a book about a piano playing and educating young artists. “Arabeske in C Major, Op. 18 by R. Schumann” and “Sonata in B minor S. 178 by F. Liszt” are scheduled to be played for this performance. Tickets cost 40,000 to 90,000 won. For more information, call (02) 541-2513. Ashkenazy

Sep 8, 2011By Do Je-hae

Arts & Theater