Implementation | Yoonseul : Mallidong Reflecting Seoul, 2017

Yoonseul: Mallidong Reflecting Seoul, 2017, 2017

Summary

Type
Implementation
Year / Period
2017
Space
The Great Wall *Exhibition Closed

Yunseul Yoon of the Great Wall realizes public art with the value of 'use'

<Manli-dong Illuminating Seoul> is a project to install public artworks in Manli-dong Square, which was promoted alongside the creation of Manli-dong Square in 2017, with the intention of practicing public art that does not end with the installation of artworks, but with the experience of a place, and that begins when it is used, not when it is erected. <Manri-dong Illuminating Seoul> is not just an artwork that is viewed, but also includes the value of 'use,' such as touching and using it, and has created the value of the project as a space that actively engages with citizens.

Manri-dong, the destination of <Manri-dong Illuminating Seoul>, was chosen as the pilot project site because it has a rich historical and social context, and it was a place that was undergoing dynamic movement at the time, with the 'Seoullo 7017' elevated park project underway. <Five artists were selected by the Public Art Advisory Group, and a project team composed of experts in art, architecture, landscape architecture, design, performing arts, urban planning, and geography proposed and realized the works.

<The Great Wall of Seoul is a 25-meter-diameter circular space installed 4 meters underground to make visitors feel enveloped in the space, and the upper part is covered with louvers made of stainless steel supermirror to capture the sunlight and the scenery of the Great Wall. The theme of 'Yunseul' was applied to the space, and various citizen-participatory performances called 'How to Use Yunseul' were planned for the opening ceremony, including performances, sound works, and meditation classes.

01 Planning

The implementation of the public artwork at the Great Wall Plaza is the first project implemented by the Seoul Museum of Art, which emphasizes place, relationship, and daily life. It was designed with the intention of realizing place-making rather than art installation, and practicing public art that does not end when it is erected but begins when it is used. This means that the artwork itself exists as an urban landscape, and includes the value of 'use' such as touching and using the artwork rather than just looking at it. It also refers to actively engaging with citizens through performances, art programs, or very temporary installations and actions.
The choice of the Great Wall for the pilot project was a combination of coincidence and necessity. Manli-dong used to be a bustling downtown area, so it had plenty of historical and social context, and it was also a place of dynamic movement at the time, with the 7017 Seoul Road elevated park project underway. While Seoul Station Elevated was once a corridor for industrialization, it has the potential to be transformed into a corridor for culture and art, where people come and go, so it was important that Manli-dong Square connect these flows that will descend from the corridor.
From July 2016, the call for nominated artists, site selection, and final selection of works were held for about a month, and the project was completed in May 2017 after a 10-month realization period. Various programs, performances, and exhibitions have been held since then.

02 Process

Design Competition

The realization of the public artwork for the Great Wall Plaza was based on the following three directions, which are the purpose of the Seoul Museum of Art pilot project.
The first is place. It refers to planning a work based on the analysis and interpretation of place, including the history of the target area, geographical conditions, current issues in the urban context, the concept of Ko Jae-won of the 'Seoul Station 7017 Project' and the role, accessibility, and relationship of Manli Dong Plaza as the finale of Ko Jae-won.
The second is temporality, which refers to anticipating and reflecting the city-level changes, seasonal or temporal changes, and various programs that occur during the three-year implementation period of the 'Seoul Station 7017 Project' and Manli-dong, which is located at the center of the urban regeneration project around Seoul Station.
The third is relationality. The third is relationality, which is to plan works that consider the relationship with citizens and the city based on the aspect of actually using and utilizing the work, such as touching, leaning, or taking pictures, rather than just looking at it.
Based on these planning directions, the submissions should include information on production and installation, maintenance and management, and public art programs related to the work.

Nominations

Five artists were nominated (recommended) by the Public Art Advisory Group, who then formed a project team with at least two experts from art, architecture, landscape architecture, design, performing arts, urban planning, and geography to propose their works.

Jurying and selection

The judging process was based on task interpretation, place, relation to the public, public art, and the artist's originality. "Yunsul: The Great Wall of Seoul" received overwhelming support from the judges, as it was judged to have fulfilled the purpose of the competition, which was to create a place that connected the artwork and the program without clashing with Seoul Station, the overpass, and surrounding buildings.

"Yunsul: The Great Wall of Seoul is outstanding in that it maintains a positive tension with the overpass without competing with it stylistically and semantically, creates a unique experience, and maximizes the experience of nature and the city."
"I think it succeeds in maintaining contextual coherence from start to finish. There's a sense of completeness in the composition of bringing out the word glow, then talking about mirrors, then moving from the light illuminating the Great Wall, which was previously negative, to the shape of the mirrors, to the connection of the program."

Evaluation of the Great Wall Public Art Realization Competition

Programming

It was important to us that the artwork function as a platform for various happenings, so after the opening ceremony, we organized various citizen-participation performances called "How to Use Yunxul. 'How to Use Yunseul: The Momentary Tilt of the Wave (September 1, 2017-9.2.)' by Andes is a performance that uses the body as a unit of measurement to tell a story about Seoul. Daum Kim's "How to Use Yunseul: Human Ductility" is a performance using the fugue form, which is characterized by imitation and repetition in music. 'How to Use Yunseul: Stone Pillow' is a workshop with designer Christina Kim to learn how to meditate using the most private and restful symbol of everyday life, the pillow.

'Yunseul' is a Sunuri word meaning a shimmering ripple in sunlight or moonlight. Yunseul: The Great Wall of Seoul illuminates the city and people around 7017 and the Great Wall of Seoul like the gently swaying and changing light of the water surface, drawing them into the work. With a linear roof that reflects the city and an interior space with an open floor for sitting and resting, the viewer can experience the space beyond viewing.
A 25-meter-diameter circular space installed four meters underground makes visitors feel enveloped in the space, while louvers made of stainless steel supermirrors on top reflect the surrounding cityscape, illuminating citizens inside and outside in ripples. Through this effect, the public is encouraged to look at Seoul in a new imaginative way. Yunsul also emphasized the function of the platform as a place where various happenings take place, and wanted to create a mediating place where various memories of the citizens accumulate. In response, the artist organized a participatory performance called 'How to Use Yunsul'. After the opening ceremony, programs were held to activate Yunseul, including performances, sound works, and meditation classes.