Hi Seoul Festival 2011

Now focused on non verbal performing arts, the Hi Seoul Festival proposes 6 days of animation : "The Gestures of Spring (Calling for Spring)", between May 5 and 10. The venues ? Yeouido Hangang Park and downtown's main squares : Seoul Plaza, Cheonggye Plaza, and Gwanghwamun Square.

Among the main events, a World Street Theater Parade on Seoul Square (May 5 at noon), the Cheonggyecheon Festival, installations, and special shows.

Check the official website for the program and updates : english.hiseoulfest.org

Seoul Village 2011

Hi Seoul Festival

Postponed last may, the Hi Seoul Festival is eventually back. On a lower key than the previous editions (probably a consequence of local elections), but at the same time more open and lively : about 70 non verbal performing groups will animate Seoul for a whole week, giving 200 shows with a focus on Hangang Parks and Gwanghwamun.

The concept of this edition, "Motion in Seoul, Emotion in Seoul", makes sure people from all horizons can enjoy all events, even if they don't speak Korean.

Note that "non Verbal" doesn't necessarily mean "silent" : fireworks will ignite the festival and let all Seoulites know something is cooking. By the way, "Nanta" / "Cooking" will be there (along with other such star non verbal shows as "Jump").

On the other hand, "non verbal" and "motion" doesn't necessarily mean "banging on bongos / chopping boards / you name it". If you're really into that, don't miss the 2010 Seoul Drum Festival (September 24 to 30 - Seoul Forest, Dream Forest, Sowol Art Hall).

Hi Seoul Festival : October 2 to 10 (fireworks : October 1)
More about the event : hiseoulfest.org / Tel 1688-0120. Organizers : SFAC


Seoul Village 2010

May 2010 edition of Hi Seoul Festival cancelled - the mayoral race is on

Mayor OH Se-hoon decided to cancel the upcoming festival as a mark of respect for the victims of the Cheonan tragedy (the Korean Navy ship presumably sunk by a North Korean device late last month).

The incumbent is also preparing his campaign for reelection. His main rival ? HAN Myeong-sook. Just cleared of bribery charges, Korea's first woman Prime Minister (2006-2007) immediately visited the tomb of the late Roh Moo-hyun.

The messages are clear :
- Han claims the Roh heritage and positions herself as the national opposition leader,
- instead of campaigning the traditional, festive way, Oh focuses on his job and credentials : Seoul ranks now 12th among world capitals compared to 27th when he took office back in 2006... and 5th, his next target.

The experienced stateswoman vs the rising star, some may try to sell it as a Clinton-Obama remake but it should be much more mundane.

Regional elections (mayoral for Seoul Teukbyeolsi) day is June 2.


Seoul Village 2010

No cars on Gwanghwamun Square for New Year's Day

Seoul Village 2009 - Like it or not, Gwanghwamun Square is already a success. As we saw before, the site can definitely be improved and uplifted (I mean literally : walking at street level remains a little bit disturbing with all the traffic so close to you), but at long last, pedestrians have reconquered the heart of Seoul. And on January the 1st and 2nd, they will totally own it : traffic will be completely closed between 6 p.m. and 11 a.m. on both sides of the plaza - the perfect occasion to test a concept planned from the beginning.

For those who've known Seoul for a while, changes have already been spectacular : Seoulites simply didn't have a place to gather for major events, and walking outdoors on a winter night was an oddity, so imagining thousands of people crisscrossing downtown on foot for hours for Christmas...

The 2002 FIFA World Cup changed everything : masses rediscovered city center and furthermore, Koreans rediscovered the concept of popular, mass outdoor celebrations. City officials reacted quickly : first came Seoul Plaza (May 2004), then Cheonggyecheon Plaza (October 2005), and now Gwanghwamun Plaza (August 2009)*. Each hub has already proven part of its formidable potential, but they still have to learn how to work together as a seamless system.

The transition between the first two will soon be facilitated by the new City Hall, and in order to ease the flow between the last two I'm sure Seoul City will come up with a solution : for instance, a gentle slope connecting Cheonggye Square or the pavement in front of Dong-A building with Haechi Madan** through the Gwanghwamun underground hub would not only make perfect sense, but also be very much appreciated by people with strollers or in wheelchairs. There could even be also a direct connection with the stream, and why not, that corridor could feature an underground waterway restoring the continuity between Cheonggyecheon and its source.

This year, Gwanghwamun is literally stealing the show, starting with the ice rink, snatched away from Seoul Plaza (see "Winter Sports at Gwanghwamun Square"), and the light festival which includes projections on KT building and Sejong Cultural Center, or Paik Nam-june's Fractal Turtle Ship - the prow of the plaza during this winter edition of the Hi Seoul Festival.

For Christmas, all Sejongno area was overwhelmed by a huge crowd, and cops had a tough time managing car and human traffics, especially around pedestrian crossings. Cheonggyecheon was well packed, but mostly around the podium installed in front of "Spring" (that's the name of the embarrassing artwork that marks the plaza : a giant, red-blue turbinate shell by Swedish sculptor Claes Oldenburg). Seoul Square, traditionally the young urban musical spot, offers this year a more familial "Winter Story" featuring the reproduction of King Sejong Station, Korea's Antartic Base... but until City Hall is reopened it seems a bit disconnected from the rest.

One can easily imagine Sejongno with no cars for the first night of 2010 : a vast space filled with animations, food, and joy. And if it snows again, the night may truly be magic.


* Seun Greenway Square was inaugurated in 2009 (May 20) opposite Jongmyo but is not yet connected with Cheonggyecheon.
** the exhibition space under Admiral Li's statue - see "Gwanghwamun Square - Preview"

Seoul 2010 Festivals and World Design Capital Events

Winter Hi Seoul Festival just started downtown (until Jan. 17), but Seoul Metropolitan Government already listed some events (festivals, exhibitions and fairs) for next year, including celebrations for World Design Capital Seoul 2010* :

January 2010 :
. Seoul Design Assets Exhibition (January 1st - March 7th)
. Design Cube (every month during 2010)
. Art Center Nabi Design Exhibition
. Conqueror Design Contest 2010 - Conqueror Corporate Identity Design Competition (China, Korea, Hong Kong, Japan until February)

February 2010 :
. World Design Cities Summit (February 23-24)
. Playgrounds with culture (Spring edition)
. Korea Space Design Symposium (February 2010)
. Housing fairs

March 2010 :
. Seoul Fashion Week 2010 (Spring edition)
. Seoul Fashion Sourcing Fair (March 31st - April 2nd)
. Seoul Living Design Fair 2010 (March 25-29)
. World Design Capital Seoul 2010 Citizen's Design (until October : competition, exhibition, online event)
. Seoul Tourism Souvenir Contest 2010 (until July)
. International Design Culture Conference

April 2010 :
. Seoul Open Art Fair 2010
. 601 Bisang Artbook Project 2010
. Cheonggyecheon Aqua Fashion Show (second Saturday of each month until October)
. Public Design Exhibition (until May)
. Communication Design Cyber Exhibition 2010 (until 2011)
. Beautiful Design Jungnang Competition (until October)
. Seoul "Good Sign" Exhibition 2010 (until October)
. International Digital Printing & Graphic Design Show 2010 (until May)
. Green Housing Fair
. Seoul Open Art Fair 2010
. Good Design Selection 2010

May 2010 :
. Hi Seoul Festival (May 1-9)
. Seoul Metro National Art Competition (until October)
. Dongdaemun Spring Shopping Festival 2010 (also in December - TBC)
. Gangnam Fashion Festival
. Art In Bloom 2010 (May 1st - June 28th, 2010)
. Children's Design Camp (May 5th)
. Campus-metro Cultural Festival
. Seoul Design cluster "Green&Sharing" Exhibition (until June)
. Seoul International Book Fair 2010
. Exhibition at Doosan Gallery
. Seoul Modelist Contest 2010 (until August)
. Korea Society of Design Science Conference 2010 (Spring edition)

June 2010 :
. International Communication Design Competition 2010
. 45th Korea Design Exhibition
. 21th Korea Textile Design Competition
. Samsung Life Digital Fine Art Contest
. World IT Show
. 21C Design Forum
. International Exhibition on Environmental Technologies & Products

July 2010 :
. International Young Designers Workshop
. Seoul Youth Creativity Summit & Festival (until August)
. "Children and Parents Joining Together" Design Workshop (until August)
. Project of Local Community Artist Development (until August)
. Hanstyle Expo 2010
. Seoul International Cartoon&Animation Festival (July 21-25)
. Seoul Character & Licensing Fair 2010
. Design Exhibition at Kumho Museum
. Design Exhibition at Doosung paper gallery
. Golden Eyes international Art Fair
. MBC Architecture Fair
. Package Design Summer Camp
. SICAF Promotion Plan 2010 (SPP) (July 21-23)
. Seoul International e-Sports Festival (July 23-25)

August 2010 :
. 8th Samwon Scholarship Foundation Awardees Design Exhibition (August 16-30)
. 17th Design Competition for the Youth
. Korea Art Summer Festival
. KODDCO 2010 (Korea Digital Design International Online Competition - until November)
. Xi Design Fiesta
. Seoul Brand Furniture Fair (August 20-25)
. Korea International Furniture & Interior Fair

September 2010 :
. 6th Seoul International Media Art Biennale (until November)
. 7th QMON Design Ground (September 15th - December 30th)
. Korea International Art Fair 2010 (September 08-12)
. Seoul International Contemporary Art Festival 2010
. International Creative Content Fair 2010
. Special Exhibition - Gyeonghuigung Palace (September 17th - October 31st)
. Good Design Selection 2010
. Seoul Digital Culture Open 2010
. Tokyo TDC Seoul Exhibition (Tokyo Type Directors Club - until October)
. Cutting Edge Best Digital Designers Invitational Exhibition
. College Fashion Week
. Dongdaemun Fashion Festival 2010 (September 15-22 - TBD)
. Korea Textile Trade Fair
. Korean Crafts Council Exhibition
. Seoul Gift Show 2010
. Seoul Drum Festival 2010
. Riverside Cafe Festival
. Hangang Performing Artist Project (until October)
. Seoul e-Culture Festival 2010 (September 29)

October 2010 :
. Seoul Design Olympiad 2010 (October 8-31)
. Haechi Festival
. "Seoul, I Design" Public Design Competition 2010
. International Design House Exhibition (October 8-31)
. Seoul Design Market 2010 (October 8-31)
. WDC Convocation Ceremony (October 30-31)
. Seoul Design Studio Design Company Exhibition
. Korea Space Design Festival 2010
. Seoul Fashion Week 2010 (Autumn edition)
. Visiting Fashion Show 2010
. Design MADE
. Playgrounds With Culture (Autumn edition)
. Hangeul Font Type Design Competition
. POSCO Steel Art Award
. Steel Design Competition
. PIN UP Design Awards 2010
. Korea Architecture Fair & Festival 2010
. International Lighting Fair 2010
. Seoul International Toy Fair 2010
. Designtag Online Shop
. Saemungil Festival (October 16-21)
. Hangang Children’s Drawing Contest
. Itaewon Global Village Festival
. Seoul Metro Vintage Show
. Seoul International Performance Festival 2010 - SIPF 2010

November 2010 :
. International Exhibition of Professional Artists 2010
. VIDAK Annual Members Exhibition (Visual Information Design Association of Korea)
. KOSIGN 2010 - Korea International Sign & Design Show (November 11-14)
. Korea Package Design Competition
. Korea Interior Design Contest
. Public Design Expo 2010
. Post-Professional School of Architecture, Korea Institute of Architects
. Home & Table Deco Fair
. Korea Society of Design Science Conference 2010 (Autumn edition)

December 2010 :
. Design Korea 2010 (TBD)
. Seoul Design Festival 2010 (December 7-11)
. Seoul Ice Carving Festival 2010
. Korea Invention Patent Exhibition
. 2010 Trademark - Design Right Exhibition
. Siggraph Asia 2010 (December 15-18)
. Creative Designers Award
. Seoul International New Art Fair
. Design Yearbook "Creatio"


Seoul Village 2009

* for updates, see also design.seoul.go.kr

Hi Seoul Festival 2009 - and beyond

When ? From May 2nd to May 10th
Where ? Five Royal Palaces, Seoul Plaza, Cheonggyecheon
What ? Concerts, exhibitions, food, performances
Questions ? HiSeoulFest.org

Among the good points for this edition :
- popular success : Seoulites of all Gus and nationalities, international tourists... a festive festival (even if interrupted by candle-light activists)
- organization (communication, information, staff...),
- better balance between major sites (ie Gyeonghuigung at last well exploited)
- international food festival (yum)
- weather...

Yet, there's still room for improvement :

* program : culturally less dense than previous editions. The Imperial exhibition in Deoksugung is almost embarrassing..., and Prada Transformer sums it up : a big void space inflated with hype. The event, already dilluted from once a year to once a season, suffered from the global crisis (only two editions for 2009 : Spring and Winter).

* f&b : visitors are invited to salivate at an exhibition on Korean food (Gyeonghuigung), but cannot taste any ! only refreshments available : permanent soda / coffee machines. you don't want palaces to be littered with used cups and napkins, but you must prepare something special. The international food festival is absolutely perfect, but lasts only one day.

* concept : some ingredients and key assets, but it looks as if the city struggles every season to market an event which needs to get its message clear and focus. "Spring", "May Palace", "Global Seoul"... many keywords splashed over billboards, many stimuli and operations, but the big picture remains blurred.


=> It's time to rebalance the festival, take some of the burden off the city's shoulders, and empower Seoul's citizens. After all, this used to be Seoul's Citizen Day. And beyond the city and its people, third parties must also gain visibility. Not just tourists but partners and special guests. You need a stronger concept because co-branding and partnerships can bloom only under a strong Seoul Festival umbrella.

=> Twice a year, Spring and Winter. One could prefer spring and autumn, the best seasons, when the city displays its marvels and gives its best shot for the World to see, but this is about the reality of a city and Seoul can be very cold. And furthermore, unlike in Paris, Seoul winters are very lively because Seoulites know how to cope with it and have great fun in spite of it.

=> The Soul of Seoul, at its very heart : the ancient city and its palaces host the party, but all gus play their part, and each district has a spot around Seoul Plaza, which then fully deserves its name. This is where Seoul meets, unites, shares. In all its diversity.

=> The city should focus on one question : what makes this Seoul Festival a special event everybody is waiting for months in advance ? It could be that special moment of the year when every citizen feels he or she really owns the heart of the city, when some rules change, when what uses to be closed is opened. The SFAC (Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture) obviously follows the right path, but could give more space to "citizen generated contents", beyond Cheonggyecheon. For instance, Seoulites could hold their own festival on a Sejongno closed to traffic : schools as well as individuals would expose their talents (stages for music, poetry, or dance, screens displaying movies and pictures...), and partners partly sponsor a selection of street as well as fine food...

Festival season(s)

Busy week in the 'hood : Jogyesa's Lotus Lantern Festival telescopes with Seoul City's Hi Seoul Festival (now a 4 times a year event). Not to mention a candlestick march of 10,000 opponents to US Beef imports near Cheonggyecheon on Friday night.

Even if rain is expected tonight for the lantern parade, both operations seem big successes. Last night at the Gyeonghuigung, thousands gathered to attend an outdoor concert. An opportunity for many kids and families to hear a La Boheme aria, to see conductor CHUNG Myung-whun arrive like a rock star, or to welcome the next president (OH Se-hoon a little ahead of CHUNG Mong-joon at the event - and probably in the polls as well).

Definitely more glamourous than the concert at Sajik park the other night (one of these corny singers exposing their wigs and fake teeth on Tuesday evenings at the TV).

Lotus Lantern Festival : llf.or.kr
Hi Seoul Festival : hiseoulfest.org