The exhibition ‘Elevation/Circulation’ was held at d/p from Dec. 15 to 31, 2021. Located on the fourth floor of the Nakwon Musical Instrument Arcade, d/p focuses on exploring contemporaneity in its exhibition space for curators. The exhibition was based on elevator no. 3 of Nakwon Arcade. The mechanical elevator, manufactured by Schindler Group, has been in place since 1969 when the Arcade was completed. In September 2020, it was demolished with a record of its extensive operation in Korea.
Over a year, the old elevator has become a cultural icon and retuned to us in other ways. The main structures that used to form the elevator were displayed in the middle of the gallery. From small buttons to heavy machinery, such as motors and decelerators, we couldn’t easily access its parts even though we got on and off elevators and elements have been revealed. In addition, it also presented works and performances that transformed notions of connection and disconnection originating with the elevator, through urban, architectural, or body circulation movements and contexts.
On Dec. 30, a lecture on ‘Architecture and the Elevator’ by Nam Sungtaeg (professor, Hanyang University) was held as part of an exhibition-related programme. Nam explained the relationship between architecture and the elevator through Rem Koolhaas’ work. Koolhaas believed that elevators did not simply advance tall buildings but created skyscrapers with mixed and different uses within the scope of one building. Furthermore, Nam noted that the spatial concept dividing voids and solids in the Netherlands Embassy (2003) designed by Koolhaas was in contact with the key characteristics of the elevator shaft.
Meanwhile, an ‘elevator survey’ was distributed online and offline during the exhibition period. The host plans to find a way to preserve elevator parts based on the survey results. The exhibition catalogue will be published in February.
Exhibition view of ‘Elevation/Circulation’
Image courtesy of d/p