Vortrag in englischer Sprache von Prof. Seung H-Sang
Künstlerhaus 1050
“The Korean word ‘Tuh-mooni’ combines the words for ‘land’ and ‘script’ (or ‘figure’). To our surprise, this preposterous compound has a very different definition: meaning ‘reason’ or ‘background’. It leads us to the conclusion that the life of our ancestors was deeply involved with the land on which they lived.
There is a great difference between the way westerners create the city and the way the Koreans do. Ideas of western cities depart from an abstract concept, especially if it is aimed to be an idealistic city. The cities of the Renaissance followed a single plan, which consisted of an absolute monarch, surrounded by nobles, drawing a perfect map of hierarchy. To build such a city on the land, it had to be flat, so that they can enclose a fortress with a moat, which gave the city a symbolic form and identity.
Today’s urban planning seems the same. It is nothing but a diagram, which has nothing to do with the land it occupies, it only defines hierarchic structure of center and the sub-center.
Pursuit of a good image that a landscape can make, was done by the urban planners of the Chosun Dynasty in Korean history. There was no reason to build artificial landmarks since the hills and streams were themselves the symbol of the city. Thus the system of nature, civilization and the culture were all in perfect harmony. In spite of this invaluable heritage, unfortunately, immature duplication of western modernity during the past several decades, alienated us from our own landscape.Finally, we became nomads in this ‘land script’-less city.
Every land has its own figure. As we all have different fingerprints, a land has its own print. It is the history of nature itself, and sometimes a history of civilization. Therefore, the landscape is a magnificent history book of our life and land: a land-script.”
Seung H-Sang was born in 1952 and studied at Seoul National University. He established his office “IROJE architects & planners’ in 1989. Seung H-Sang published several books and taught at several universities including North London University, Seoul National University, the Korea National University of Art, and at TU Wien as visiting professor.
He was honored with various awards and prizes, like: ‘the artist of year 2002’ from the Korea National Museum of Contemporary of Art and the ‘Korea Award for Art and Culture’ from the Korean government. Seung H-Sang was the first City Architect of Seoul Metropolitan Government in 2014.
Currently he is Chair Professor at Dong-A University and working as Chief Commissioner of Presidential Commission on Architecture Policy of Korea. Austrian government decided to honor him with ‘ the Cross Decoration of Academy and Arts’ in this year.
www.iroje.com
Im Vorfeld von 13 – 17 Uhr Projektpräsentation von:
Seoul Biennale Global Studios 2019 – Collective identity
THE BOOK OF BOUNDARIES
Projektleiter: Mladen Jadric & Seung H-Sang mit Student*innen der TU Wien
Gastjurorin: Tanja Prušnik, Künstlerhaus
Assistenz: Federica Rizzo
www.seoulbiennale.org
