SPACE July 2023 (No. 668)
Yeouido Park is on the brink of change. Yeouido is an international financial and business centre, with a complex urban fabric including waterfront and ecological assets. When the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) last year announced their new culture and arts policies to enhance urban competitiveness, the Yeouido area was highlighted for its potential value as a cultural and artistic hub host to various turning points in terms of progressive urban policy and socio-cultural aspects. In addition, the increase in visitors and living population, due to the newly built large-scale commercial quarter and the establishment of the GPX route, is expected to herald further change to Yeouido’s urban structure and status. This developing trend puts Yeouido Park in the spotlight. It occupies 8% of the area of Yeouido and crosses the centre of Yeouido from north to south, but due to the absence of a programme that foregrounds the rich narrative behind Yeouido’s spatial context, its role unfortunately does not go beyond that a simple neighbourhood park. By also cutting off the east and west, a more balanced urban development in Yeouido has been blocked. SMG has plans to build the 2nd Sejong Center for Performing Arts within the park as a starting point from which to reorganise Yeouido Park into a ‘city centre cultural park’, and is promoting a design competition with the goal of completion in 2026. At the same time, the city is planning installations of public art which may function as landmarks representing Seoul.
As part of this initiative, the Seoul Representative Public Art Roundtable held under the auspices of the Design Policy Division was conducted four times from May 16 to June 12 to discuss the proper planning direction and process behind public art works in advance with a panel of experts. In particular, in the last session, held under the theme of ‘Yeouido Park Remodeling and Public Art Planning According to Future Yeouido’s Change in Status’, the discourse went beyond the definition and future forms of ‘Seoul representative public art’ and focused on realising distinctive public art from the regional perspective of Yeouido.
In the discussion, the common opinion as raised by Bae Woongkyoo (professor, Chung-Ang University) and other participants was that public art works should not take the form of a single object. Regarding this, Yang Seungwoo (professor, University of Seoul) suggested the possibility of creating an outdoor gallery that could contain new content on a regular basis. Lee Hanho (principal, Juice Comefunny) insisted upon consideration of sustainable future programmes rather than just focusing on artistic form. Lee Insung (emeritus professor, University of Seoul) raised a question about the current situation, in which the subject of the space remodeling plan of the 2nd Sejong Center for Performing Arts and the public artwork plan would be separated, proposing an integrated plan that will encompass both architecture and art, as well as exterior and interior. He then emphasised the cooperation of the two organization as a primary future task. On the other hand, Yoon Seoyeon (associate research fellow, Urban Infrastructure Planning Center of The Seoul Institute) noted that Yeouido Park’s keyword, ‘city centre cultural park’, should be considered in connection with parks in other areas of Seoul, such as Seoul Forest, Sangam, and Yongsan. Based on these discussions and continuing research, SMG plans on establishing a basic plan to realise Seoul’s representative public art works and detailed guidelines for an international competition.
by Youn Yaelim
Estimated bird’s eye views of Yeouido Park with the 2nd Sejong Center for Performing Arts / Image courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government
You can see more information on the SPACE No. 668 (July 2023).
