‘Transformations: Experiments in Hangeul Design’ is an exhibition currently on show at the National Hangeul Museum that tests the creative potential of the Korean alphabet. The Hangeul Design Project, of which this exhibition is a part, was launched by the National Hangeul Museum in 2016 to to showcase contemporary movements as well as visions for the future of Hangeul design.
The show marks the third year in the life of the project, composed as a tripartite investigation into Hanguel design: a visual inquiry expressed as a graphic representation of the Korean alphabet’s syllabic grouping mechanism, an exploration into Hangeul’s compositional and modular characteristics, and experimentation with how two-dimensional letters might be brought into three-dimensional space.
The work of several up and coming artists feature in the show, revealing attempts to reinterpret the organising principles and geometric shapes of Hangeul. Worth noting is the part of the show that engages with fashion, formed to examine the practical applicability of Hangeul design. Two works draw attention in particular: ‘I’m Sorry, Thank You, I Love You’ by Kim Jiman (2019), which employs graffiti lettering on various materials presented in a mixed arrangement, and ‘1+1+1=1’ by Han Hyunmin (2019), which borrows the modular characteristic of Hangeul which lends itself to both separation and coupling, creating a form that connects the front side of a jacket, the lapels of a coat and a bag all in one.
‘Activity Flooring’ by You Hyemi × Park Chulhee (2019) is a work that expresses Hangeul’s syllabic grouping mechanism in the form of a daecheong maru (daecheong flooring) and a graphic poster. Park Kiljong’s ‘A Living Room for Vowels and Consonants’ (2019) is a spatial reinterpretation of the Korean writing system that transforms the 28 vowels and consonants of Hangeul into pieces of furniture, such as a chair, a table and a clothing rack.
In a season full of exhibitions on writing systems and fonts, Transformations: Experiments in Hangeul Design, sets itself apart by firmly placing itself in the realm of practicality. The show continues until its closing date, 2 Februrary 2020.
View of ‘Transformations: Experiments in Hangeul Design’ / Image courtesy of National Hangeul Museum