Kontrast creates art, collaboration, community
Loren Hutchison and Scott Fuzion, co-founders of Kontrast / Courtesy of Kontrast
By Celeste Kriel
Kontrast, an interactive experience featuring fashion, music and art connecting professional and aspiring creatives, made its debut on Dec. 15 at Paper Street Cafe in Jung-gu, central Seoul, and will be presenting its second episode Saturday, Jan. 26.
The creative content collaboration event kicked off episode one featuring a lookbook party, with a photoshoot set up on the first and second floors of the three-story art and cafe space, DJs and an art pop-up showcase on the third floor, with partygoers jamming all around.
All three floors were buzzing with creative energy all day and well into the night with music pumping from the speakers on each floor, people mingling, a dance party on the third floor and models posing and cameras clicking in the middle of it all. It was a chance for attendees to immerse themselves in music, fashion and art.
The first episode featured popular DJs on the Seoul music scene such as MONIKA and Ligrye, and special guest artist HootnAnnie who showcased her limited edition wearable art collection. Professional and up-and-coming photographers and models had the opportunity to collaborate on photoshoots for popular Seoul streetwear brands Stance Seoul and Flexxion on a professional set.
“Our intention is to connect Seoul creatives in a space where they can build new personal and business relationships while developing their craft as part of an exciting, interactive art experience,” the organizers told The Korea Times.
Paper Street owners and multi-passionate creatives, fashion designer and stylist Sunya Kim, her husband, photographer and designer Loren S. Hutchins, and Kyuwan Kim, who describes himself as a “man of business,” teamed up with Scott Fuzion, a creative entrepreneur passionate about lifestyle design, to create the Kontrast collective. They believe in connecting art and people, collaboration and community.
“We'd like to create a movement that feeds one another. A platform where all forms of art can collaborate and grow as one through an experience,” Sunya Kim said.
Aiming for nine more Kontrast episodes over the next nine months, the organizers say they want to push the boundaries for what art events can be while nurturing, strengthening and providing a space for Seoul's burgeoning creative community.
“The brands we bring are brands we believe in. They feel good against the skin. And the people bring positive perspectives to the world and together we generate a new online/offline collaboration, a dialogue that is life and lifestyle and living. It's a positive and encouraging environment to help one another get better and make better and be better together than any one of us can do or be alone,” Hutchins said.
While the events will always be rooted in fashion photoshoots, the concept is evolving continuously and other art forms will be explored over time.
The second episode will include Afrobeat dancers, acro-yoga performers, 11 DJs, YouTube content creators and a special guest performance.
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