SPACE July 2023 (No. 668)
Installation view of Faraway: man made, nature made / Image courtesy of Soda Museum of Art
‘Museum is Everywhere, Uemdo Pavilion’ in Hwaseong-si Uemdo invites visitors to explore the rich history of Uemdo through sound. Organised by the Soda Museum of Art, an exhibition that aims to connect divided communities through art, and Faraway: man made, nature made (2023) by Diagonal Thoughts (principal, Kim Sara) serves as a vital point of connection. Walking from the parking lot to the front of the Uemdo Eco-Center to the Sihwaho Lake marsh, one encounters the pavilion. True to its name, Uemdo, which is said to resemble the sound of a cow mooing, the reeds sway and hair bounces wherever the eyes wander. The pavilion harnesses the opposing principle of a megaphone to take advantage of this low, muted characteristic of the land. By placing your head in the asymmetrical wooden cylinder, the rustling of leaves from the mountains behind you are muffled, while the sound of reeds in the wind is amplified, allowing you to clearly discern the high-pitched tones. After immersing yourself in this natural soundscape, you can observe the reeds and rocks that were concealed upon entering, thanks to the diagonal wooden louvers.
Once an island, Uemdo became connected to the mainland through the creation of Sihwaho Lake for industrial water usage. In the process, the 1.8 billion-year-old rocks below exposed a range of geological formations, including wet valleys, faults, and veins, while the land was transformed into reed beds, forming a horizon. Unfortunately, some of the views from the Hwaseong Geopark in Uemdo will change in the future with the construction of the Songsan Green City. The experience within the pavilion is unique and precious due to the temporary nature of its structure. The impact of the space lingers in visitors’ minds, and the pavilion serves as a profound reminder that this natural landscape that will soon become a place of the past. The exhibition is open until July 9.
You can see more information on the SPACE No. 668 (July 2023).
