The impact of evolving technology on the arts and crafts was a major undercurrent in the four-day Craft Trend Fair 2015 that began on Dec. 17.

The fair, in its 10th year, explored the possibilities of craft’s future in its main exhibition “Future in Hands,” featuring works that were created with 3-D printing, 3-D mapping and media art.

The fair, hosted by hosted by the state-run Korea Craft & Design Foundation, is the largest craft festival in Korea.

“We wanted to capture the current craft environment, which is moving past an era of mass production to make the field of creation a special and very individual area,” main exhibition curator Park Kyoung-rin said at a press conference ahead of the fair. She said the exhibition would show pieces that discussed “the meeting of craft and media, and craft that was created with high-tech methods.”

Pieces on display included work from ceramist Yun Ju-cheol’s “Cheomjang” series. Yun used brush strokes to create lumps along the surface, while using 3-D printing technology to create the base shapes or to create details in certain sections of the work. Kim Hye-gyung’s “A Treasure” projected images of traditional Korean designs onto a cabinet and vase. Ceramist Ahn Seong-man actually brought a 3-D printer optimized for ceramic work that he had developed himself, and attended the fair to explain the machine to visitors.

According to curator Park, this partial use of 3-D technology is a trend characteristic of Korean artists. “When you see 3-D being used in craft overseas in Western countries, artists seem to use it from start to finish,” she said. “But in Korea, 3-D printing is used to experiment with small portions of pieces, to get small details that can’t be done by hand. The main parts are done by hand.”

The blend of technology and traditional crafts was visible in other parts of the exhibition as well. “Silhouette Clock” by Suh Mil-ha, which was voted the best work by visitors at the Hanji Product Design competition within the fair, combined a light-up clock with traditional Korean paper. Many business booths included lamps and other lighting fixtures that utilized traditional Korean designs such as patchwork and lacquer, combined with new technologies like the eco-friendly organic light-emitting diodes. 

“I think it’s amazing how craft artists are embracing technology,” said Jenny Eom of Ian Art Consulting, who worked as a docent at the fair. “They could easily feel threatened because technology could replace what they do with their hands, but rather than pushing it away, they are finding ways to make better art by incorporating it into their work.”

The Craft Trend Fair 2015 took place from Dec. 17-20 at Hall A of Coex in Seoul. It featured over 30 booths from artists, workshops, businesses and universities from both Korea and abroad, and drew over 50,000 visitors in four days.

By Won Ho-jung (hjwon@heraldcorp.com)