Kim Nyung-man looks back on his early days in the ’70s

Kim Nyung-man, a 70-year-old professional photographer, is holding a solo exhibition that looks back on the early days of his 50-year career. Born in 1949 in Gochang, North Jeolla Province, Kim started his career as a photojournalist in 1978 at the Dong-a Ilbo, a local newspaper. Working as a photojournalist for 33 years, he covered the Blue House, the truce village of Panmunjom and the 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement. The exhibition, which opened Monday, includes 36 of his early works fro

Oct. 16, 2019

‘To the Moon With Snoopy’: Uplifting ‘Peanuts’ characters arrive in Seoul

Lotte Museum of Art’s exhibition featuring the “Peanuts” gang will satisfy not just family visitors but also fans of fine art and pop art. “To the Moon With Snoopy” shows a wide range of works, from the original cartoon and animation works by Charles M. Schulz and Snoopy-themed decorations to contemporary Korean artists’ works featuring the “Peanuts” characters.  The first section of the show celebrates the 50th anniversary of Snoopy’s

Oct. 16, 2019

‘Traces of Black Sand,’ choreography looks at life, memories

The Korea National Contemporary Dance Company will perform a new production that fuses contemporary dance with traditional Korean music at Seoul Arts Center CJ Towol Theater from Nov 1-3. “Traces of Black Sand” is a collaboration between composer Ra Ye-song and KNCDC Artistic Director Ahn Sung-soo. The two have worked together on contemporary dance and traditional sounds since the 2017 KNCDC production of “Music for Rites - The Afterimages of the Rose.”“‘Trace

Oct. 13, 2019

[Herald Design Forum] Breathing new life into used plastics

Plastic can be a valuable material if effectively upcycled, argued Dutch designer Dave Hakkens in his speech, “The Power of an Open Source” at the Herald Design Forum 2019 held at Grand Hyatt Seoul in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul on Thursday. “Less than 10 percent of the plastics (used around the world) get recycled. For companies, it’s just easier to buy new plastic. The plastic waste is burned, sent to landfills or to the ocean,” he said. Hakkens said, he started to

Oct. 10, 2019

[Herald Design Forum] Changing old neighborhoods with new thinking

While the construction of a building or a house may be a familiar concept, establishment of a neighborhood or a community is a relatively new notion. Assemble is a London-based multidisciplinary collective that builds neighborhoods, responding to the actual needs of the community. More than just renovating a building, it rejuvenates the whole area, working across the realms of architecture, design and art.Maria Lisogorskaya, one of the founding members of Assemble, took the podium at the 2019 He

Oct. 10, 2019

[Herald Design Forum 2019] Astronomer Ribas stresses importance of preserving our ‘Pale Blue Dot’

Finding another planet with a hospitable environment for humans has been a long-cherished wish for mankind. Astronomer Ignasi Ribas, a leading expert in that field, however, stresses the importance of preserving the Earth’s environment, pointing out that migrating to another planet is science fiction, at least for now. “Can another planet be a possible second home (for humans to live in)? The answer is no, and if it is possible, it would take forever to get there,” said Ribas,

Oct. 10, 2019

[Herald Design Forum 2019] Daimler art director puts spotlight on empathy in future mobility

Alexander Mankowsky, art director at leading German carmaker Daimler, said Thursday that empathy should be the priority in future mobility so that companies can roll out innovative automated vehicles capable of interacting with pedestrians.“If we have to talk about ethics, we need to talk about what is human. What are we humans? How would you like to be? That process is always for people. We need to see what we are and what do we want to be,” Mankowsky said at Herald Design Forum 201

Oct. 10, 2019

[Herald Design Forum 2019] Shaping environment friendly future with creativity

Dutch designer Daan Roosegaarde believes that it may be possible to turn space waste into light in the near future. The artist leads projects that use technology to raise awareness on environmental issues while maintaining esthetics. Based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, the artist is the leader of Studio Roosegaarde, a social design lab comprising 20 engineers, designers and artists.Taking the podium at the Herald Design Forum 2019 on Thursday at Grand Hyatt Seoul, Roosegaarde delivered a lectur

Oct. 10, 2019

[Herald Design Forum 2019] Actress, model, environmental activist Gong Hyo-jin opens up about inner conflict

Award-winning South Korean actress Gong Hyo-jin, who has also made a name for herself as a popular fashionista, shared her inner conflict as an environmentally conscious fashion model, encouraging the public to take small steps every day to save the environment.“I have a nickname, ‘fashionista.’ Part of my job as a model is to convey, ‘Isnt’ this pretty? Would you like to purchase one?’ But since I saw this data, I have been experiencing an inner conflict, inn

Oct. 10, 2019

[Herald Design Forum 2019] Alex Mustonen, artist who reinvents everyday structures, materials

Alex Mustonen, co-founder of New York-based studio Snarkitecture, is a creator of unconventional objects and spaces, merging different disciplines, including art and architecture.  Mustonen and his colleagues at Snarkitecture -- Daniel Arsham and Ben Porto -- are widely known for their works that reinterpret everyday structures and materials, transforming them into something utterly new to invite visitors to engage with their surroundings.At Herald Design Forum 2019, Mustonen will talk abou

Oct. 7, 2019

[Herald Design Forum 2019] An alternative approach to urban rejuvenation

Instituting an urban renewal plan, especially in a top-down manner, runs the risk of disregarding the actual needs of the people living in the city, or missing the potential benefits that can be derived when the community is engaged in the redevelopment process. The London-based studio Assemble takes a bottom-up approach, setting out to reinvigorate urban areas in ways that benefit communities. Founded in 2010, Assemble boasts a diverse and award-winning body of work. Its democratic and cooperat

Oct. 7, 2019

[Herald Design Forum 2019] Michael Govan, director of ever-evolving museum in LA

Michael Govan is the director of the ever-evolving Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and is in charge of all its aspects, from art programming and collection, to the expanding and upgrading it.At Herald Design Forum 2019, he will discuss the groundbreaking changes that the LACMA has undertaken and his visions for the art world in the future.　 The LACMA opened to the public on Wilshire Boulevard in 1965. William Pereira designed the three buildings on its campus, Ahmanson Building, Bing Center an

Oct. 7, 2019

[Herald Design Forum 2019] Do we need another planet?

Do we need another planet? Ignasi Ribas is preparing for that worst-case scenario in which we really do need an alternative option. Ribas is a scientist who leads an international team of exoplanet hunters at the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia. His work focuses on exoplanet research and precise knowledge of the stars. Ribas is actively involved in instrumentation projects, both on Earth and in space, with the aim of discovering new planets similar to Earth. At Herald Design Forum 2019,

Oct. 7, 2019

AMP recognizes beauty of Saemoonan Church

Saemoonan Church, the oldest Presbyterian church in the country, was recognized with the Architecture MasterPrize, a prestigious architectural award given by the Farmani Group. The new church building in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, was listed under the award’s Cultural Architecture category, announced Thursday.  The award introduced it as the “Mother Church” of Korea, referring to the history of it being the first organized church in the nation. Saemoonan Church was establ

Oct. 3, 2019

13th Gwangju Biennale takes shape

The 13th Gwangju Biennale, directed by Defne Ayas and Natasha Ginwala, is taking shape. The upcoming biennale, titled “Minds Rising, Spirits Tuning,” recently announced its first batch of participating artists as it kicked off the first program tied to the event slated to begin Sept. 4, 2020 in Gwangju.  The lineup for Korea’s largest art festival includes 31 international artists.“We chose artists who are very much engaged within their own diverse geographies, and w

Oct. 2, 2019

New Seoul Fashion Week director hopes to promote K-style to world

Fashion designer Jung Ku-ho has stepped down as executive director of Seoul Fashion Week after four years at the helm of the country’s largest fashion event.Taking his place is Jeon Mi-kyeong, a former editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar Korea with more than 25 years of experience in the fashion magazine industry. She will head Seoul Fashion Week with the Seoul Design Foundation for two years. The 2020 spring-summer Seoul Fashion Week -- the first edition led by Jeon -- is slated to t

Oct. 1, 2019

[Herald Design Forum] Daan Roosegaarde envisions ‘Landscapes of the Future’

Over the last few years, an aesthetically refined seven-meter-tall air purifier in Beijing became viral in Korea, which shares the Chinese capital’s troubles with smog and fine dust.  That Instagrammable “Smog Free Tower” by Dutch artist and innovator Daan Roosegaarde did not just suck up air pollution: It also transformed particulate matter into jewelry and then into rings, which people could buy. Roosegaarde is an artist who has been utilizing technologies to raise aware

Sept. 30, 2019

[Herald Design Forum 2019] Mobility coping with future environment

Discussions about future mobility often involve technologies such as artificial intelligence and autonomous driving and innovations surrounding electronic vehicles. Alexander Mankowsky from Daimlers research unit takes part in such discussions. He looks ahead and keeps track of technological developments aimed at bringing new vehicles that fit future environments.Mankowsky will join Herald Design Forum 2019 to deliver a speech on future mobility and the vehicles of the future that he has been lo

Sept. 30, 2019

[Herald Design Forum 2019] ‘Treat plastic as precious material’

Dave Hakkens, a Dutch designer who launched Precious Plastic, a global network that invites hundreds of people from all over the world to work on solving issues related to plastic waste, is due to speak Oct. 10 at the Grand Hyatt Seoul as part of the Herald Design Forum 2019Hakkens’ goal is quite simple: Make things more sustainable. “The projects I have done have been often related to reducing waste or changing the way we do things so they are more efficient and better for the envir

Sept. 30, 2019

Bauhaus designs shown in Seoul

Le Corbusier, who was one of the French responses to the Bauhaus school, used to experiment with furniture with his colleagues at his studio to come up with pieces that would fit in well with his architectural works. On view at the Kumho Museum of Art in Seoul’s ongoing exhibition is Charlotte Perriand’s 1952 kitchen module that was installed in Unite d’Habitation in Marseille, a landmark apartment building by Le Corbusier. The kitchen by Perriand provides visitors a glimpse in

Sept. 29, 2019