[Herald Design Forum] Weta FX CG supervisor Choi Jong-jin on creating photorealistic water in 'Avatar: The Way of Water'

Choi Jong-jin, a CG supervisor at Weta FX, the leading visual effects company in the industry, dedicated significant effort to crafting the realistic and stunning water scenes in the 2022 blockbuster "Avatar: The Way of Water." “The scale of CG work for ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ surpassed anything I’ve encountered in previous films. Two-thirds of all shots in the movie involve water,” Choi explained. “We typically start by shooting reference clips w

Oct. 9, 2024

[Herald Design Forum] Create spaces with purpose, respect, curiosity

Three French architects -- Anne Lacaton, Jean Philippe Vassal and Jean-Michel Wilmotte -- shared their core philosophies that have guided their decades-long careers during an architecture roundtable and Q&A following their presentations at the Herald Design Forum 2024, held in Seoul, on Tuesday. “The most important thing will be for whom we are doing this work,” said Lacaton, the Pritzker Prize-winning architect who received the award with Vassal in 2021. “Architecture is a

Oct. 9, 2024

[Herald Design Forum] Wilmotte highlights natural light for Centre Pompidou Seoul

“The 63 Building is a major landmark in Seoul. It will soon become an icon that promotes the Centre Pompidou Seoul," said Jean-Michel Wilmotte, the celebrated French architect, during a session at the Herald Design Forum 2024. The 76-year-old architect -- with three offices in Paris, one in Nice, two in Italy, one in London and one in Seoul -- has been chosen to refurbish 15,000 square meters of the Yeouido skyscraper, from the underground level to the fourth floor above ground, for t

Oct. 9, 2024

[Herald Design Forum] Visual content creators on popular art forms, sources of inspiration

What does it mean to be a visual content creator, such as a webtoon creator, emoji designer or cartoonist? How do these artists, whose work is part of our daily lives, draw their inspiration? A trio of visual artists -- Koo Ji-min, known by her alias, Koohie, Hong In-hye, also known as Lunapark, and Kim Ha-na -- explored the meaning of being a visual content creator at the Herald Design Forum 2024, held Tuesday at the Floating Island Convention Center on the Han River in Seoul. During the spec

Oct. 9, 2024

[Herald Design Forum] Human guides essential to AI development, says Johnny Lee

"Design is not only artwork, but also an experience that integrates technology, creativity and content," Johnny Lee, founder of iStaging, a Taipei-based tech firm specializing in virtual reality solutions, said during his speech at The Herald Design Forum 2024, held at the Floating Island Convention Center on the Han River, Seoul, Tuesday. In his special lecture, "Designing a Journey to See Imagination through XR," Lee outlined the guiding principles behind his approach to

Oct. 9, 2024

[Herald Design Forum] AI composer enhances human creativity, says creator of Korea’s 1st AI composer EvoM

“AI is not a Genie of the Lamp -- it’s more like Jarvis, the intelligent assistant from Iron Man,” Ahn Chang-wook said during his keynote speech at the Herald Design Forum in Seoul on Tuesday. Ahn, a professor at the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology and the creator of South Korea’s first AI composer, EvoM, highlighted the supportive role AI can play in the creative process. EvoM, trained to write music at a level comparable to human composers, is one of the wor

Oct. 9, 2024

Buddhist festival reaches old and young through culture

An annual festival run by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism will officially host performances by Jogye Buddhist followers for the first time in the festival’s history. Now in its fifth year, the Buddhist Culture Festival, running Oct. 17-24, includes a series of performances -- singing and dancing -- delivered by nine teams of 60 Jogye followers on Oct. 19 at the Historic Cultural Memorial Center of Korea Buddhism at the Jogyesa complex in Seoul, the headquarters of the nation’s lar

Oct. 7, 2024

Korean art in full swing in UK this fall

Korean art will be at the center of attention in the UK this fall, with a variety of exhibitions featuring established Korean artists and projects set to coincide with Frieze London, which runs Wednesday to Sunday. The Korean Cultural Center UK will host events on Thursday and Friday, bringing together artists and art enthusiasts alike for networking and a viewing of the ongoing exhibition “Digital Heritage, Now! AI With You.” The exhibition showcases the beauty and significance of K

Oct. 7, 2024

Changwon sculpture biennale tells story of city as industry mecca

Changwon, a South Korean city known as a manufacturing hub and the capital of South Gyeongsang Province, is hosting the seventh edition of the Changwon Sculpture Biennale, exploring the relationship between urban development and sculpture. As the nation’s sole sculpture biennale, the event kicked off on Sept. 27, spanning unique venues that encapsulate the city’s modern history -- Seongsan Shell Mound, Changwon Cultural Complex Center Dongnam Ground, Seongsan Art Hall and Changwon Ci

Oct. 6, 2024

[Herald Design Forum] Jean-Michel Wilmotte shares his vision for Centre Pompidou Hanwha Seoul

Space, matter and light define beautiful architecture, says renowned French architecture luminary Jean-Michel Wilmotte, who has been chosen to design the Centre Pompidou Hanwha Seoul, set to open in 2025. Celebrated for his visionary work at locations such as the Louvre Museum and the Elysee Palace, the 76-year-old architect will speak at the Herald Design Forum 2024, scheduled to take place at Sevit Island in Seoul on Tuesday under the theme of “Inspiration, Limitless?” In a written

Oct. 6, 2024

Biannual palace festival to kick off next week

The biannual festival at the four biggest Joseon-era (1392-1910) palaces in Seoul will start a five-day run Wednesday packed with performances from ballet to classical music and musicals. The K-Royal Culture Festival, held in spring and fall, will host performances at Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung. At Gyeongbokgung, “The Royal Concert: Ballet and Sujecheon” will be performed Oct. 10-13, showing a blend of ballet and the royal court music of Joseon. On O

Oct. 4, 2024

Define Seoul 2024 to explore simplicity in design

The second edition of Define Seoul, a design and art fair launched by Art Busan, will expand its scale with special exhibitions and more participating galleries in October in the hip Seoul neighborhood of Seongsu-dong. The design art fair was inaugurated last year as an art fair for collectors that integrates fine art and design. The second edition under the theme of “The Meaning of Simplicity: Attitude Towards life in a Rational Era" is curated by designer Yang Teo, who also curated

Oct. 2, 2024

This year’s Hangeul Week packed with events

A competition, a music festival, lectures and a forum will take place for a week from Friday, celebrating the annual Hangeul Week to raise awareness of the Korean writing system. Hours ahead of officially starting the weeklong event, a Hangeul contest will be held at Gyeongbokgung -- one of the five Josen-era (1392-1910) palaces in Seoul -- drawing 120 Koreans who survived regional finals and 130 foreign nationals selected for the competition. Open lectures by book writers will follow on Friday

Oct. 1, 2024

[Herald Design Forum] Johnny Lee, visionary engineer-cum-designer, sees future in virtual worlds

To what extent does design shape experiences in virtual worlds? For Johnny Lee, in an era where extended realities, or XR, dissolve barriers of physical space and time, design -- whether technological or virtual space design -- is “crucial.” With a background in engineering and years of entrepreneurial experience, Lee balances the roles of engineer and designer at iStaging -- a Taipei-based company specializing in virtual reality solutions he founded in 2015. Lee, who is also the c

Oct. 1, 2024

Ven. Seongpa's art is 'seon' meditation

Known as a Buddhist spiritual leader, Ven. Seongpa has combined Buddhist practice with artistic creation, with his art as both the process and the result. Seongpa has unveiled some 120 works created over the past decades at the exhibition entitled “Seongpa Seonye – COSMOS,” which opened at the Seoul Arts Center last week. While his art encompasses a wide range range of genres, from calligraphy and ceramics to painting and sculpture, the exhibition focuses on lacquer works. Lacq

Sept. 30, 2024

[Herald Design Forum] Lacaton, Vassal extend life of buildings without demolition

One may raise their eyebrows hearing the philosophy of the French architects Anne Lacaton and Jean Philippe Vassal whose practices are opposed to demolishing buildings to build new ones. The Pritzker-winning architects’ approach is particularly unusual in Korean society where the wholesale reconstruction of apartment complexes to be taller, newer and more luxurious is a common and positively regarded way to raise home and property values. “We do not think it is necessary to demolish

Sept. 30, 2024

[What to see] Gallery-hopping: From Korean abstract art pioneer to Urs Fischer

Take a stroll in downtown Seoul to check out some art amid the autumn breeze, works by emerging artists at Peres Projects near Songhyeon Yeollin Park, Korean pioneering abstract artist at PKM Gallery in Samcheong-dong and Swiss-born, US-based artist Urs Fischer at Jason Haam in Seongbuk-gu. Emerging artists at Peres Projects Peres Projects in Seoul is currently presenting exhibitions of British artist Rebecca Ackroyd and Danish artist Anton Munar. Ackroyd's “The Party Is A Woman&rdquo

Sept. 28, 2024

Kang Ik-joong's monumental 'Hangeul Wall' unveiled at Korean Cultural Center New York

A 22-meter high wall with 20,000 colorful blocks of Korean letters, or Hangeul, was unveiled Wednesday at the newly opened Korean Cultural Center New York, on E. 32nd Street in Manhattan. The monumental work was created by New York-based artist Kang Ik-joong, known for his iconic works of Hangeul blocks. Kang’s installation “Hangeul Wall: Things I Love to Talk About” was created in collaboration with participants from more than 50 countries around the world. Some 7,000 submissi

Sept. 26, 2024

Qatar Pavilion at Gwangju Biennale brings solidarity through rain

GWANGJU -- A soundscape combining rainfall with a Qatari children's folk song fills the corridor where a reflection of Qatari traditional architecture patterns surround visitors. On the wall are Qatari idioms. One reads: “Whatever comes from the sky, the earth accepts.” The National Museum of Qatar presents its national pavilion exhibition at the Gwangju Biennale, Asia’s leading art biennale, which kicked off Sept. 7 across the city of Gwangju. The title of the exhibition

Sept. 22, 2024

MMCA releases English VR tour of 'Performative Home' exhibition

The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea has unveiled a virtual reality exhibition tour for “Performative Home: Architecture for Alternative Living," which is currently physically on view at the museum’s Gwacheon venue. For the VR tour, the actual exhibition space was captured in 360 degrees, and architectural materials such as 3D models and sketches were used. The 360-degree VR exhibition tour, provided in English and available on the MMCA’s YouTube channel, is the

Sept. 13, 2024