LVMH to reenlist Frank Gehry for applied arts center

LVMH will tap architect Frank Gehry once again to create a center for applied arts beside his Louis Vuitton Foundation, the luxury group and the City of Paris announced Wednesday.The celebrated Canadian-American architect, 88, will be tasked with renovating and transforming a disused museum located a stone’s throw from the futuristic Foundation he built on the western edge of Paris in the Bois de Boulogne.“The new center will be dedicated to artists, live performances and to the applied arts and

March 9, 2017

Local tourism braces for fallout from strained Korea-China ties

Following the joint Korea-US decision to deploy the THAAD battery in Korea last July, a de facto Hallyu ban has been in place in China. Following is the second article in a three-part series that examines the impact of the unofficial Hallyu ban on the Korean entertainment and tourism industries. --Ed.With China clamping down on Korea-bound tourism -- widely suspected as retaliation for the upcoming Seoul-Washington deployment of the US missile defense system here -- the tourism industry is searc

March 7, 2017

[Seoul Saunter] Haebangchon: Home to artists, once a refuge for the displaced (Video)

Seoul is a vibrant megalopolis with modern high rises crowding the city’s major arteries. Nestled among the gleaming buildings are maze-like alleys that appear to have escaped the passage of time. The Korea Herald explores the many nooks and crannies of Seoul, proclaimed the capital of Joseon in 1392, that reveal a multifaceted city. -- Ed. Navigating through the Haebangchon neighborhood of Yongsan can be a challenge. Houses are perched on steep hills. Cars squeeze past labyrinthine roads while

March 6, 2017

‘The Fountainhead’ to premiere in Seoul

Ivo van Hove’s “The Fountain” will be performed in Seoul from March 31 to April 2, marking the second time that the theater director will visit Korea to stage his production. The Fountainhead, a stage adaptation of a 1943 novel by Ayn Rand of the same name, was first unveiled in 2014 and has received mostly positive reviews. The four-hour show’s protagonist is a young architect Howard Roark who refuses to compromise his artistic and personal vision for worldly success. The character’s interactio

March 5, 2017

[Eye Plus] Flowers on their way to Gwanghwamun to soothe citizens

During winter, the Park Geun-hye scandal dumbfounded many citizens, with the irregular situation in administrative affairs still ongoing.Political ups and downs can be likened to the stock market. Stocks that have nosedived to rock bottom often recover at a rapid pace. Life is the same. Put the anger aside for a moment and observe spring knocking on our windows. It has come to soothe the people. Beautiful flowers are poised to placate those who have grown sick and tired of the political fiasco.C

March 3, 2017

Ancient Celtic art uncovered in ‘unique’ gold hoard

Two amateur treasure hunters have uncovered a bracelet decorated with some of the earliest Celtic art ever found in Britain in a trove of gold jewelry revealed Tuesday. A handout image made available by Staffordshire County Council on Tuesday shows a collection of Iron Age gold jewelry that were discovered in a field in Staffordshire, central England in December 2016. (AFP-Yonhap)Metal detectorists Mark Hambleton and Joe Kania made the discovery of the three torques and a bracelet, which may hav

March 1, 2017

'Moonlight' wins best picture at Academy Awards

“Moonlight” won the best picture trophy at the Academy Awards in a historic Oscar upset that followed Warren Beatty at first reading the wrong winner. Shock and chaos spread through the Dolby Theatre when producers of “La La Land” were stopped in the middle of their acceptance speeches to be informed that Beatty had incorrectly read “La La Land” as the winner. “I wasn't trying to be funny,” Beatty explained, saying he had seen the name Emma Stone from “La La Land” when he opened his envelope.Hos

Feb. 27, 2017

London film screening backs Oscar boycott director Farhadi

Thousands of film fans gathered in London’s Trafalgar Square Sunday for a screening of “The Salesman” by Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, who is boycotting the Oscars over US President Donald Trump’s policies.　Just hours before the Oscars ceremony in Los Angeles, where the film is vying for the Best Foreign Language Film award, the London landmark was transformed into a giant open-air cinema. 　”Despite our different religions, nationalities and cultures, we are all citizens of the world. I’m ver

Feb. 27, 2017

IS stashed treasures in trenches, smashed walls to shock

For the roomful of archaeologists, scholars and Iraqi cultural officials Friday, each neighborhood conquered in Mosul brought them one step closer to learning the fate of the ancient sites and artifacts seized by the Islamic State group. At a two-day UNESCO conference, Iraqi officials are asking for money and expertise to reclaim the cultural heritage that is on the verge of complete destruction. At sites wrenched back from Islamic State group, soldiers have found trenches filled with historical

Feb. 26, 2017

Japan's male hosts sell dreams to lonely women

Cigarette smoke hangs thick in the air of a Tokyo nightspot as Aki Nitta sips champagne with a trio of sweet-talking Lotharios peddling fake love at premium rates.   In a country which has lost its mojo, many wealthy Japanese women spend eye-watering sums on male hosts in return for an evening of sweet talk, flirting -- and often sex.   "I want my heart to flutter," Nitta told AFP at a popular club in the Kabukicho red-light district lined with chrome and mirrors.    "Japanese men aren't very at

Feb. 22, 2017

British Museum training Iraqi experts to save Mosul heritage

As Iraqi forces fight to take back Mosul from the Islamic State group, archaeologists trained by the British Museum are preparing for another battle -- trying to save what they can of the city’s heritage.One of the world’s leading institutions for the study of ancient Iraq, the London museum has been training Iraqi experts for the past year in high-tech methods to preserve and document their history.“Once the city is liberated, there will be an enormous plan of reconstruction of the Museum of Mo

Feb. 21, 2017

Artisans break mold in Britain’s pottery capital

At the 18th-century Spode pottery works in Stoke-on-Trent, startup artisans like 22-year-old Emma Price are moving into abandoned buildings and breathing new life into a once-mighty industry.The 4-hectare site in the heart of the Staffordshire city in central England whose name worldwide is synonymous with pottery has become a creative hub that is drawing in a new generation.Workers hand paint crockery in the Emma Bridgewater factory, which employs around 185 people and manufactures 1.3 million

Feb. 20, 2017

‘Flight of the angel’ rings in Venice Carnival

Tens of thousands of revelers in masks and period costume packed St. Mark’s Square on Sunday for the “flight of the angel,” the traditional opening of the Venice Carnival.On the 12th chime of midday from St. Mark’s Campanile, Claudia Marchiori descended gracefully from the famous bell tower, attached to a wire 80 meters above the crowd that had gathered for one of the world’s most famous carnivals. Claudia Marchiori, winner of last year’s Maria of the Carnival contest, descends from the Bell Tow

Feb. 20, 2017

[Eye Plus] Time keepers on Watch Alley in Jongno

In Yeji-dong, or better known as “Watch Alley” in Jongno 4-ga in central Seoul, a cluster of watch shops form a sort of island where time remains frozen in a sea of shiny buildings, luxurious restaurants and countless coffee shops. On the narrow street, dozens of watch shops attract a steadily declining stream of customers interested in affordable or rare watches. Behind glass benches where a wide range of wristwatches are displayed, repairmen, often middle-aged or older, work on broken timepiec

Feb. 17, 2017