SPACE December 2022 (No. 661)
Installation view of Unidentified Symbol ©Han Garam
‘Ways, Bodies, Lives, Sites: Beneficial Design in Everyday Life’, the Public Design Festival 2022’s themed exhibition was held at Culture Station Seoul 284 from Oct. 5 to 30. Ways, bodies, lives, sites were used as sub-themes to examine publicity from various angles. In the central hall on the first floor, visitors were greeted by a giant air bag, Air Dune (Lee Wonshok) and a seesaw-like Round Round Round (Vakki). The works formed a playground that could be properly enjoyed only when a group of people physically cooperated rather than acted individually. While publicity was experienced with one’s whole body, the next exhibition, ‘Market for All’ provided an opportunity to meet brands and products that pursue the value of eco-friendliness, fair trade, and sustainability. Another exhibition dealt with the neglected areas in our lives. Post Standards presented Stairs for All, a work that allows everyone, including ordinary people, the elderly, and dogs, to reach the same level regardless of physical condition using stairs, ramps of 1:12 slope and 1:8 slope. Hong Jihak (professor, Chungnam National University) created a public toilet Unidentified Symbol that erases the separation between identities, and Park Kiljong (principal, Kiljong Arcade, covered in SPACE No. 652) presented Moving Stop, which facilitates various social meetings by attaching wheels to a bus stop. The ‘Each and Every House’ exhibition focused on the home, the site of our lived experience. SS2 Architects (co-principals, Lim Keunyoung, Jeon Jaebong) examined various uses of the balcony in order to restore it from private space to a buffer space between inside and outside, and produced models of different types.
The Public Design Festival 2022 was launched by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism this year. The events were held in Culture Station Seoul 284, Seongsu-dong Special Public Design Zone, and other 80 other locations across the country, providing opportunities to discover and experience public design in every corner of everyday life.