☆ 020 ; meanwhile, in korea...

In class we have been discussing where East meets West, especially centered around the concept of Japonisme, or the influence of the arts of Japan on those of the West. While not Japan, I wanted to check in to see what was going on around the same time in history in Korea. Lo and behold, my favorite palace, Gyeongbokgung, was being rebuilt. Located in northern Seoul, Gyeongbokgung was first constructed in 1394 during the early days of the Joseon Dynasty, which lasted up until 1910, when the Japanese invaded. It was burned down in 1592 by the Japanese, and then rebuilt in 1867, so just after other "palaces", like the Crystal Palace. I'd like to juxtapose the two because, as you see in the pictures below, craft was a huge deal in Korean architecture. That's not to say craft wasn't a main focus in the Crystal Palace, but the mass-produced and machine-made elements of buildings like the Crystal Palace couldn't hold a match to the hand-carved and hand-painted elements of the Korean high style. Just think of the manpower it took to build such a complex, and yes, it was a complex-- in the end of its second construction, Gyeongbokgung featured 330 buildings with 5,792 rooms over 4,414,000 square feet. I walked around it two or three times, it's gigantic.



I'd like to point out the decorative elements, some of which doubled as structural elements. I read somewhere recently that up until Modernism surface decoration was about the conveyance of ideas, which is especially true in Korea. If one can read a building, then the symbols painted on and carved into the wood were the words, culturally imbued with significance. The symbols ranged, but the one I saw the most was that of the lotus, which symbolized the creation of life and prosperity. Now why would that need to be all over a palace? Hmmm!

I think the other obvious words to toss into the ring are "rhythm" and "repetition". I wish I could add something about the construction since we went over it in my Fundamentals of Building Construction class, but all I've got are names of joints and their Korean translation.

Below are two sets of photos I took, one set on April 18, 2008 (wow, almost a year now), and one on May 29, 2008.



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I haven't made any recommendations in awhile, so I'd like to do that as well.



[a] movie OLDBOY I first watched this movie while I was in Seoul, as people were telling me it was one of the best Korean films ever, and I loved it. I didn't fully get it until I watched it again, but that's usually the case with movies that have plot twists as thick and crazy as this movie! It's the classic tale of revenge reworked, about a man locked up for fifteen years then suddenly set free. He seeks revenge, but loses a part of himself in the process. My favorite character is the villain, he's such a wonderful, maniacal creep. Trailer below.



[b] book CAT'S CRADLE I love a good book that messes with your mind, and Kurt Vonnegut has always been really good at that. This was my first Vonnegut book and I'm really glad it was-- it was an easy read, it didn't take to long to get through, but the concepts and ideas he puts forth... it's hilarious and sad at the same time. And frightening. I think the end two pages are just about the best thing I've ever read.

[c] music DE DE MOUSE A solo electronic artist from Japan, DE DE Mouse is fresh. The songs have such a good beat and flow together well on this album, tide of stars. The concept is tight and it's something you can dance to, which is always a plus. If you don't like electronic this certainly won't be for you. I have an irrational love for electronic music, and Japan has so many artists that do it so well. Preview a song below [my favorite song]. I might be able to help you find the album if you're interested.