Seoul

Seoul is a city of pretty people and pretty things. The things are beautifully crafted, the handwork exquisite. So are the people, as we were to learn, for cosmetic surgery is run of the mill. The obsession with perfection seems to be fuelled by government policies that create the easy availability of services. And government policies play a major role in most of what we saw in Seoul. 

Seoul City Hall was built to an award winning design by Korean architect Yoo Kerl, and was opened to public in 2012. A curvy, faceted glass skin characterises it. It was full of life, with an exhibition of childrens' paintings in the lobby, a music performance and traditional market in full flow in the basement, and competitions and events happening on the upper floors. The new is connected to the old City Hall building, which is a public library with a sizeable collection of books.

Seoul offers an unforgettable street experience in Insadong, a pedestrianised shopping street. With regulations on building height and signage, the street retains a charm that keeps it crowded. Besides the tiny to large scaled shops and eateries that line the street, vendors, artists, musicians, and push carts of street food of every sort are scattered throughout its length. Everything on offer is pocket friendly and business is brisk. Locals and tourists hang out here, adding to the vibe. 

There was much vying for attention. Metal bells, beautifully crafted wooden utensils and toys, handmade jewellery, cotton clothing and handmade paper were some of the attractions. To feast on, there were cups of juicy mulberries with shaved ice, musk melon pieces on sticks, crisp fried potatoes with dustings of cheese or chilli, curly fried dough with ice cream stuffing, fresh juices, hot deep fried snacks and roasted chestnuts. 

Ewha University by French architect Dominique Perrault seems more like a landscape response than an architectural one. One is greeted by two gradually ascending slopes of green, a gradually descending paved area separating them and a sculptural staircase at the far end reconciling the two levels created. That this deceptively light mass, more like an urban garden or park, conceals 70,000 square metres of built area is the genius of the concept. The sloped gardens are the rooftops, ramping up from ground level to a height of four storeys at the far end, with the paved plaza separating them ramping down. Below the plaza is another two levels, spanning across the whole expanse of the cross section.

Another development that is more land art than building is the Seoul Memorial Park by HAEAHN Architects, a crematorium and funeral parlour with supporting facilities. Although the whole cannot be seen and comprehended from the approach itself like at Ewha, a walk around the campus reveals the care taken to integrate the built form with landscape. The built elements gradually ramp up from the ground,  pinwheeling about a central pool. Along with the gardens and ponds, sculpture and natural light are the elements used to create an atmosphere apt for solemn last rites. The use of materials, especially of polished steel and glass around the central pool, was found to be the jarring note in the whole experience. Warmer, natural-finished materials might have enhanced the garden concept more.

The Seonyudo Park in the midst of the bustling city of Seoul is created around the elements of a former water purification plant. It is an award winning project, the sort that offers interesting experiences, but is best understood when with the accompanying literature.  With poplars planted to indicate the boundaries of demolished buildings, former concentrator structures turned into amphitheatres, underground waterway structures converted into elevated pathways, and settling basins holding aquatic plants and gardens, it is easier to appreciate the elements of reconstruction when viewed with a knowledge of the story behind it. 

The Leeum Samsung Museum is a big gesture for art and culture, and for Seoul, on the part of Samsung. Three world renowned architects were roped in to design the three buildings that make up the museum complex - Mario Botta, Jean Nouvel and Rem Koolhaas. Interestingly, besides the form of the buildings, derived from the site and cityscape, and elements such as natural light, the presence or absence of it, all three architects place emphasis on materials. 

Botta's attempt at neo-classicism ["Neo-classicism is full of antiquity"] is driven by the use of natural materials, including Korean ceramics ["Classical and traditional materials…overcome the level of geometry or time and convey meaning to everyone directly…they are wanted instinctively by humans"]. The central light well was the experiential focus of the building, Museum 1. It houses  Korean art from prehistoric times to the 1900s, including paintings and calligraphy, and ceramics and metal work, each exquisite piece standing testimony to Korea's tradition of fine craftsmanship.

Nouvel used steel and glass in Museum 2, "The steel I've used is quite ambiguous…it may look like polished dark rock…it is capable of expressing many different qualities". The neat lines of the building form a foil to the brick-clad "Urn" of Museum 1. It houses a collection of international modern and contemporary art. 

The exhibits are, simply put, stunning. Perfectly displayed, the spaces they occupy playing as much a role in their enjoyment and appreciation. Jeff Koon's playful "Smooth Egg with Bow" greets visitors with its cheery, highly polished blue and red, sitting in a central position. In a corner across, what appears to be a toy castle, made with metal, found objects and flickering television screens draws attention - a mixed media installation "My Faust Autobiography" by Nam June Paik. The eye is then drawn higher, to another stunning display hanging from the ceiling.  Further ahead, a glass wall flecked with colour vies for attention. A steel framework across it holds pills and medicinal capsules of different colours and shapes, precisely arranged and stacked to form a starkly beautiful composition - "Dance of Death" by Damien Hirst. Parts of the exhibition space overlook wells of greenery and the natural light filtering through adds to the experience.

Koolhaas exploited the plasticity of concrete in the Child Education and Culture Center. "You can't get that sort of weight and depth, or the power, from other materials". In a master stroke, he created a building within the building, a "black box", easily seen and comprehensible within the larger scale of space. The angled black box, seen from an approach ramp and accessed by a flight of stairs, creates a feeling of heightened anticipation. It is an exhibition space "to which no light travels, where artificial manipulation and control are possible". Dark concrete is the material of choice, and the darkness is a perfect foil to the exhibits. 

The exhibition on in the Black box was fascinating. "Mise-en-Scene", a term referring to elements of visual composition in a film scene. It explored the use of cinematic tools in contemporary art. Moving image is used in Adad Hannah's installation "Half a second", with 12 monitors. The spatial arrangement of the monitors is an important part of the work, taking the viewer from one scene to the next. The images draw the viewer with their intensity, focusing on the face of a woman , and zooming out step by step, to include the whole scene. Engrossed by the story of the woman, the one follows the sequence to find that the final image reveals a movie set, leaving one to judge what is fictional and what is real. Also exploring the relationship between truth and fiction, is the work of Jung Yeondoo, recreating famous movie scenes, and parallely showing the process of making.

The Leeum Samsung museum does what good art should. It causes one to think unexpectedly, to question set notions, to explore a realm of possibility, to widen horizons. Setting and exhibits meld, each supporting and sustaining the other, blurring boundaries. If a leading corporation could give this experience back to its city, you know that the city is on the right track, creating as the lettering across the museum facade spelt, "memories of the future".