Our first stop this afternoon was the Museum of Maga located in a beautiful setting made even lovelier by another sunny day. There were several installations and pieces of art on the grounds. Notice the silhouette mounted on the brick. It’s a life-size figure of the museum director, Burn-Soo Song, who is also a renowned […]
Seoul, South Korea–Day Eleven, Part I
Our second to last day was action-packed. The first thing we did was view an exhibition at the Seok Juseon Memorial Museum at Dankook University. Just to put you in the mood for what the museum has to offer, in the foyer there are cut-outs dressed in traditional Hanbok for photos ops. but you need […]
Seoul, South Korea–More Day Ten
Day ten was so full, I split it into two posts. After the indigo dyeing workshop we went to one of the most unusual restaurants I’ve ever been to. Here’s what the tables look like before guests are seated. Note the “slot” between the raised sides. The server arrives pushing a cart. On top of […]
Seoul, South Korea–Day Ten
We had the wonderful opportunity to attend a Haneul Mulbit Indigo Workshop in Bukchon in a Hanok, a traditional Korean style home. While I have done much fabric dying using a variety of processes, from dyeing in baggies, to dyeing in large vats, and dye-painting, I have never thought to learn indigo dyeing. When I […]
Seoul, South Korea–Day Nine
As I showed in my post on day one in Seoul, the city is surrounded by mountains, which means there is easy access to nature and hiking. So–we hiked one afternoon in one of the country’s national parks called Baekseokdongcheon Fairyland in Buam-dong. The weather was perfect, dry and warm but not too warm. Not […]
Seoul, South Korea–Day Eight
Shopping again–but this time at the Gwangjang Market, known for its fabrics including ramie, mosi, sambe, and silks. Youngmin Lee, one of our tour leaders, took us to her favorite shop for ramie, which she uses to create Bogaji. Here is Ping Ting, our group member from Singapore buying ramie. She had a sheet with […]
Seoul, South Korea–Day 7
We had two free days out of a twelve day tour and had a number of options of places to go and things to do. On our first free day four of us went to Dongdaemun Market, a huge shopping district comprised of several buildings. One building has nothing but shoes, another clothing, and a […]
Seoul, South Korea–Bogaji
Youngmin Lee, one of our tour organizers, saw my blog post of November 18th and let me know the Bogaji artist was Dukjoo Choi. There is a wonderful video of her show which took place a few years ago in Vienna. There is an English translation that explains the history of Bogaji also called Pojagi […]
Seoul, South Korea–Day 6
We took a nearly two hour bus ride to the city of Cheongu where we spent the day at the 10th Cheongju Craft Biennale. A number of countries presented exhibitions in this two-story industrial building. We were given a personal tour as an introduction to the exhibits. I was not excited by this work. I’m […]
Seoul, South Korea–Day 5
We began the day at the Gwanghwamun Gate, which is the main gate to the Gyeongbukgung Palace. (Note there are several palaces in Seoul). Luckily, we arrived just as the changing of the guard was taking place. The National Folk Museum is located nearby. Next to the entrance is a recreation of a traditional Korean […]
Seoul, South Korea–Day 4
Cultural and historical outings were sprinkled among the textile-oriented activities, one of the ways you really learn about a people and their country. This day took us to the Changdeokgung Palace constructed during King Taejong’s reign (1400-1418). There are many striking “gateways” to pass through as you tour the palace grounds. Here are just two […]
Seoul, South Korea–Bodacious Bogaji Exhibition
Bogaji is the name of the traditional Korean wrapping cloth, also known as pojagi (보자기). It became popular during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) but has changed over the years. The cloth itself holds a variety of uses, ranging from everyday domestic use as tablecloths, covering food and bedding, and wrapping precious objects even within a […]
Seoul, South Korea–Day 3
For our first full day together as a group, we did a walking tour around the area near the hotel. What do you know? There was a quilt show inside a large tea house. The show no doubt had a name, but everything was in Korean. The two quilters who were there to greet people […]
Seoul, South Korea–Random Things I Saw and Learned
One end of the Insadong neighborhood is marked by The Artist’s Brush. Notice the “stroke of paint” in the square, as if made by a giant hand. Not sure what to make of the Korean culture or sense of humor given the theme of this nearby restaurant. No, I didn’t try it! One couple who […]
Seoul, South Korea–Day Two
I got up the morning after I arrived and decided to investigate the areas beyond the Insadong neighborhood. When I reached a six-lane thoroughfare and turned left, I was blown away by by the sight greeting me. Across the street was the entrance to the Jogyesa Temple, the primary Buddhist temple in Korea, whose grounds […]
Seoul, South Korea–Day One
I returned from a two-week trip to Seoul last week with a cold. Fortunately, I came down with it the last day. Here are some highlights of the textile tour taken with ten other people, starting with day one. I’ve never been to Asia before, so I was really excited to go and see what […]
