It started as a project to uncover and share creativity in Ulsan and nearby cities. One year on, Angle magazine is holding a series of shows in Busan, Ulsan and Daegu to mark its first anniversary.

The magazine was set up by Philip Brett and Joshua Hanlin, who had moved south to Daegu and wanted to set up something for writers in the area. Brett was more focused on art and music, but the two found that their goals aligned.

“It was both an attempt to create something and also to learn more about what was going on around us,” he said. “What we kept hearing was that, while there are so many publications and websites in Korea that focused on art and music, a lot of it is very Seoul-centric. So the goal of Angle is to try and promote the talent of people in the south of the country.”

With that, the focus has not been on expat art specifically but the local scene in general. The magazine’s staff has a large Korean contingent and a team of translators, as well as involvement from members of New Middle Class, an Ulsan-based art group.

“We didn’t want it to be separated in any way, to try and bring people together and develop a scene, rather than have two separate scenes,” he said. “It’s been an incredible year and it has really opened my eyes to what is happening, but it has been fantastic.”

The magazine has grown to acquire about 15 volunteer staff now, and expanded its scope from Daegu, Ulsan and Busan to Gwangju and other southern cities.

Brett describes the growth as organic, saying it felt like a natural progression to participate in the Big Day South festival, which he helped set up with Ali Safavi of expat label I Like Many Records and Jess Hinshaw, founder of Daegu art magazine [b]racket.

“While it was a huge event for a magazine that had just been around for a number of months at the time, everything felt like a very natural progression,” he said. “It was a chance to show people what we had been talking about for the past few months.”

This growth has meant that the magazine has been able to sustain itself, even with the departure of Hanlin, who left Korea recently.

“None of my education was on journalism or design in that way, but now we have people with a wealth of experience in each of the different areas. I am hoping that in the next few months we will be able to see it reflected in the magazine we put out.”

The anniversary coincides with a joint project with a local restaurant-cum-gallery. I’m Gourmet in the old downtown of Ulsan has a restaurant on one floor and a gallery called Mo-Im on another, at which Angle will help curate the exhibitions.

Brett said that he had received a lot of help and advice from Jess Hinshaw and others at [b]racket magazine, which runs a similar collaborative space with a cafe in Daegu, called [t]morning. He said that Mo-Im was directly inspired by this.

“I showed them the example of [b]racket and [t] morning and how well that had turned out. The owner has visited [t]morning in Daegu and picked up a few copies of [b]racket, which they loved, and they have even got a few copies in the gallery now for people to have a look through. I think we are fortunate that this is 100 percent a full-on gallery space as well.”

The gallery opened in August with a group show, and the first Angle-arranged exhibition will start on Oct. 1, Brett said, with a show by local artist Im Jeong-a.

To mark the magazine’s first anniversary, Brett admits to perhaps getting over-excited in organizing three shows, but says that he is pleased with the lineups.

“There are three different events and each one of them offers something quite different in terms of music and art and in terms of involving the crowd,” said Brett.

Music will be the highlight of the Busan show this Saturday, with a diverse mix of acts.

“A lot of them are local, but it is a collection of people who maybe wouldn’t have played too many shows together before,” he said.

“It’s going to be a wonderful mixture of music.”

There will also be live art and a bake sale in aid of Busan International Women’s Association’s charity fund.

There will be less music at the Ulsan Show on Oct. 4, with four acts, but there will be more interactive art, including a type of portraiture using overhead projectors that will raise money for the Ulsan Parents of Child Cancers.

“It helps pay for the treatment of children with leukemia, as well as once their child has finished their treatment, it provides an art class and a music band to help them readjust to socializing with children of their own age,” Brett said.

The last show will be in Daegu on Oct. 11 with music from seven bands and live art being made on overhead projectors. Local expat volunteer group Daegu’s Time to Give will be raising money at the event with a Polaroid photo booth.

For more information on the magazine or the events, visit anglekorea.org or facebook.com/anglemagazine.

By Paul Kerry (paulkerry@heraldcorp.com)