SPACE August 2023 (No. 669)
Exhibition view of ‘Sansuinmul: Mountain·Water·Human·Building’ ©Youn Yaelim
65% of Korea and 60% of Switzerland is covered with mountains. Korea and Switzerland, which run parallel, meet in the mountains. Co-organised by both countries, in celebration of the 60th anniversary in 2023 of their diplomatic relations, the exhibition ‘Sansuinmul: Mountain·Water·Human·Building’ explores the differences and intersections between the two countries and their shared concerns and visions for the future. The exhibition is comprised of Chepchep-San-Jung – a research display in which six architects, landscape architects, and researchers trace the relationship between the natural and urban environments of each country – and ARC-HEST, a joint educational programme between Korea and Switzerland organised by the Embassy of Switzerland in Seoul and held biennially since 2019. In Chepchep-San-Jung, mountains are depicted as devices that go beyond spectacular natural features to project societal concerns, sharing a life with those in the city and weaving collective memories. The research project Culture Laboratory Seoul charts the evolution in the identity of Seoul, which has been destroyed and rebuilt alongside Seoul’s inner mountains, from the Japanese colonial period through to the city’s growth period to the city we see today. The research reveals the ways in which the mountain has been viewed has changed over time in close relation to political, architectural, cultural shifts and associated changes to individual lives. This explains why the question, ‘at what point should we begin to restore’, was raised during the restoration of Seoul’s inner mountains and why it is still relevant today, suggesting that when we talk about restoration we should be thinking about the people, animals, and trees of today not those of the past. Meanwhile, the EPFL Media × Design Lab explores the essence of Switzerland Alpine culture through a creative collaboration with artificial intelligence. This opens up new boundaries in architecture and generates another channel of interaction. At the centre of the room is the spiraling installation Chepchep-San-Jung: Layers of Mountains (2023). Printed on translucent fabric, the mountains of Korea and Switzerland are enveloped in multiple layers in a spiral that do not meet. The superimposed landscape, both familiar and unfamiliar, recalls the intertwined relationship between mountains and water, human and buildings between Korea and Switzerland. The exhibition is on view until Aug. 13 at Seoul Hall of Urbanism & Architecture. (by Youn Yaelim)
