A forum convening a group of noted scholars and architects for a discussion on how physical space and virtual space impact cultural communication will be held later this month in Seoul.

“After the pandemic, ‘space’ is newly emerging as a place for the diverse experience of touch and smell, while a growing number of people are seeking shared spaces,” said the Corea Image Communication Institute Tuesday in announcing the 13th Cultural Communication Forum on Aug. 25 at the Grand Hyatt Seoul.

“We will discuss how the space for cultural communication has been evolving and what it will look like in the future, amid the accelerating digitalization and the emergence of metaverse.”

Guy Sorman, a French-American scholar and culture critic, will deliver a keynote speech. Other speakers are: Jean Louis Cohen, a French architect and professor at the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University; David Pierre Jalicon, chairman of the French-Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Katrina Sedgwick, director and CEO at Melbourne Arts Precinct Corp.; Yoo Hyun-joon, a professor of architecture at Hongik University; and Simon Lee, CEO of Flitto, a global crowdsourcing translation platform.

Overseas participants will join the forum via video feed while local participants will be joining the hybrid forum in person.

Joining as panelists are Designhouse CEO Lee Young-hye, New Zealand Ambassador to Korea Philip Turner and Park Jin-woo, CEO of Tmonet, the Korean operator of the Theatre des Lumieres.

The Cultural Communication Forum has been held annually since 2011 to promote cultural exchange and communication.