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An exhibition room at the newly restored Culture Space 284 |
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism held an opening ceremony for Culture Station 284 together with the Korea Craft and Design Foundation (KCDF) on August 9. The original Seoul Station building was closed after the construction of the new KTX station in 2004, but has been transformed into a cultural and artistic space after two years of reconstruction and renovation.
The opening ceremony was attended by several important figures including Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choung Byoung-gug and National Assemblywoman Na Kyung-won.
| Top: Jackson Hong's “Passengers’ Seat” Bottom: Front facade of Culture Station 284 |
The ceremony began with a completion report by Ahn Chang-mo, a professor from Kyonggi University who worked on the advisory committee for the restoration project.
The report was followed by a variety of special performances, including “Sound Performance for Seoul Station” by Sung Ki-wan and “Heart Clot: Made in Seoul Station” by dancer Ahn Eun-mi. The performances were followed by a tour of the venue and an exhibit by 24 artists in the new space.
While the official grand opening will take place in March 2012, 60 cultural events, including exhibitions and concerts, will be over the next six months. The opening project will be “Countdown” by Kim Sung-won, a professor from the Seoul National University of Science and Technology. The exhibit runs through September 30, and is free of charge.
| U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and other important figures attend the opening ceremony. |
Culture Station 284 will also host a monthly performance of “Glittering Gyobang Dance,” which incormporates Korean traditional dance, music, art and clothing.
Starting on August 10, Yonhap News Agency will host a photo exhibition of award-winning works promoting the UN's Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon attended at the exhibition’s opening ceremony with Minister Choung.
The exhibit includes 80 winning entries from the Yonhap International Press Photo Awards (YIPPA) until September 30. The winning photos were selected from 2,000 shots by photo journalists from around the world. They cover all eight of the MDGs, including the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, universal primary education, and environmental sustainability. The exhibition will move to teh U.N. Headquarters Visitors' Lobby in New York and seven South Korean cities, including Busan, Daegu and Daejeon starting on Aug. 22.
Minister Choung said, “The Old Seoul Station is reborn as a cultural space, recovering its value. We’ll continuously support cultural events across Korea, including those held here in Culture Station 284 for our citizens to enjoy and to advance Korean culture worldwide.”
For more information about Culture Station 284, please visit (Korean)
By Jessica Seoyoung Choi
Korea.net Staff Writer
