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A Stroll of Style

A stroll along Seoul’s small streets and alleys may lead you to brilliant gems hidden deep in every nook and cranny — the soul of the city’s design

Stevie Emilia (The Jakarta Post)
Seoul
Tue, December 23, 2014

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A Stroll of Style On the spot:: Christmas-tree making is held at one of the design spots’ studios during the Seoul Design Spot event. (Courtesy of the Korea Herald and Seoul Design Foundation )" height="339" width="510" border="0">On the spot:  Christmas-tree making is held at one of the design spots’ studios during the Seoul Design Spot event. (Courtesy of the Korea Herald and Seoul Design Foundation )

The streets were selected based on its unique characters — from its hottest reputation among residents and tourists alike to those that have long served as comfortable hideouts for designers.

Over 150 designers joined the Open Studio project, welcoming visitors to their showrooms, studios, boutique hotels and art cafes scattered inside the small streets and alleys.

The visitors were not only given the opportunity to peek into the places where designers exhibit and sell their work but also witness firsthand where design products are made using sophisticated techniques inside their workshops and studios.

One of the streets, Bukchon and Gyedong, hosts more than 15 design spots.

“The streets of Bukchon and Gyedong embrace both the past and present, which is why the two places are so appealing to me,” disclosed Chang Nam-sook, president of The Cup Story.

Pick me:: An elephant-shaped wine holder is on display at Seoul Design Festival.  (— JP/Stevie Emilia)On the spot:  <)

A stroll along Seoul'€™s small streets and alleys may lead you to brilliant gems hidden deep in every nook and cranny '€” the soul of the city'€™s design.

Sprawling out like veins, the small streets and alleys of Seoul are struggling to keep up with the fast-growing city, losing their battle against growing population and development.

The recent Seoul Design Week 2014, sponsored by the Seoul metropolitan government and organized by the Seoul Design Foundation, has injected new blood into the streets and alleys, restoring their lost luster.

The event'€™s main design events included the Seoul Design Spot with visits to design attractions; the Seoul Design Festival, the largest design exhibition in Korea; the Herald Design Forum where a number of world-renowned designers shared their philosophies and ideas; the Design Market where design items and health foods were introduced; and Design Talk where renowned designers discussed designs.

CEO of the Seoul Design Foundation, Jong-wong Baik, said Seoul Design Week aimed to promote various design events held across Seoul while strengthening the city'€™s design capacity.

'€œWe will do our best to discover and develop the hidden design potential of Seoul to establish it as a major design city in Asia along with Tokyo and Beijing,'€ he said.

As an off-site event of the Seoul Design Festival, launched in 2002, the Seoul Design Spot had taken different themes and concepts as well as drawing considerable attention as an interactive exhibition that best captures the spirit of design in Seoul.

This year, the theme of Seoul Design Spot was Open Studio, which aimed to bring the public closer to design by opening the doors to the work spaces of local designers '€” allowing them the opportunity to enjoy diverse and exciting designs in every corner of Seoul rather than being constrained in a limited exhibition space.

The program allowed visitors to get a glimpse of the transition of design in Seoul up close while taking a stroll along these streets and alleys.

Seoul Design Foundation director of international relations, Rhee Sang-mook, disclosed that the spots are expected to become Seoul'€™s design attractions for tourists.

'€œThe long-term vision of the Seoul Design Spot is to define the landscape of Seoul design and put it on the world design map,'€ he says.

The program attracted many, both Seoul residents and tourists, to flock the design spots that had been grouped into 11 of Seoul'€™s major design streets.

On the spot:: Christmas-tree making is held at one of the design spots'€™ studios during the Seoul Design Spot event. (Courtesy of the Korea Herald and Seoul Design Foundation )
On the spot:  Christmas-tree making is held at one of the design spots'€™ studios during the Seoul Design Spot event. (Courtesy of the Korea Herald and Seoul Design Foundation )

The streets were selected based on its unique characters '€” from its hottest reputation among residents and tourists alike to those that have long served as comfortable hideouts for designers.

Over 150 designers joined the Open Studio project, welcoming visitors to their showrooms, studios, boutique hotels and art cafes scattered inside the small streets and alleys.

The visitors were not only given the opportunity to peek into the places where designers exhibit and sell their work but also witness firsthand where design products are made using sophisticated techniques inside their workshops and studios.

One of the streets, Bukchon and Gyedong, hosts more than 15 design spots.

'€œThe streets of Bukchon and Gyedong embrace both the past and present, which is why the two places are so appealing to me,'€ disclosed Chang Nam-sook, president of The Cup Story.

Pick me:: An elephant-shaped wine holder is on display at Seoul Design Festival.  ('€” JP/Stevie Emilia)
Pick me:  An elephant-shaped wine holder is on display at Seoul Design Festival.  (JP/Stevie Emilia)

The store offers a variety of beautiful cups and mugs designed and created by 25 young artists.

She said that in rapidly changing times, the neighborhood continued to move along slowly, much as it has always done.

'€œThe narrow, path-like backstreets help to promote communications among the people here. It is like a small theater, where you can hear the person next to you breathing. It is in this kind of place where all types of convergence are possible.'€

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