Galati Travels: animation

One of the most magical experiences I have had in Seoul is at L’atelier, an indoor impressionism-art-theme park located in Dongdaemun, Seoul. For art lovers and technologists alike, the theme park is unusual - it brings alive the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, and others in the most interesting of manners. L’atelier is a word that combines ‘light’, a keyword that symbolizes the Impressionist paintings, called the ‘paintings of light’, and ‘atelier’, which refers to the workshops for the contemporary artists. The theme park has thus been designed to allow visitors to enjoy themselves in Paris, by recreating the same streets.

Some of the famous areas recreated are: Palace du Tertre, Montmartre, Madeleine Flower Market, Place du Lamartine and Palace du Forum. Every detail has been paid attention to, starting from the patterns of the floors and the walls, to each chair’s cushion, which are designed to look similar to a pillow in Van Gogh’s “The Bedroom.” Even the digital animations of paintings on the walls interact with the visitors.

The sets have been carefully done up, paying attention to even the smallest of details, and the lighting and technology is very appropriately placed. Most of the windows display a video, which is responsive. That means, when you go near the window, someone starts talking to you!

The exhibition also highlights the life of the greatest Impressionist artists such as Van Gogh, Edouard Manet and Edouard Leon Cortes, through a recreation of Paris, in the 1,400-square-meter space.

There's a lot of landscapes and scenes which are projected on the walls throughout the indoor theme park. They also have a gallery of the artwork, and many of the paintings are animated. This means you can see slight animations - However, they have an amazing feel to them.

There are also three performances you can see. One is Monet’s Lily pond media-art-show and the other two performances revolve around the life of Van Gogh. An actor, impersonating famous French novelist Emile Zola, uses hologram images to pose a question about why Van Gogh ended up committing suicide, then a musical created by the company shows the creative genius’ life, from an enthusiastic young man to an old miserable loner. Though everything is in Korean, you will get simultaneous English and Chinese translations.

The exhibition is totally worth it! Tickets are for 24,000 KRW ($20) but discounted on the last Wednesdays of the month - because of Culture day! To get here, go to Dongdaemun Hyundai City Outlet is five minutes away from Dongdaemun History and Culture Park station, lines no. 2, 4 and 5. L’atelier is on the 11th floor of the building.

No comments

Seoul has some amazing hidden treasures, but many of these hidden treasures have been deliberate in an attempt to boost one thing or another. One such place, which is one of my favorites, is Cartoon Street. It is called in Korean, Zaemiro, meaning "street of fun".

The street was meant to bring back "Manhwa", the Korean word for cartoons, comic strips, comic books, and graphic novels. In Korea, the cartoon culture is different from other places and almost not recognizable. I grew up watching Hannah Barbera and Flintstones, but in Korea, it seems there was an alternative cartoon culture, that I may never connect to - but I truly appreciate it and can sense the nostalgia.

Supposedly, this road started in 2013, by Seoul's city government to promote the "imaginative industry" and boost tourism and the local economy.

The street connects Namsan Mountain and Myeong-dong. The entrance of the street begins as a tiny alley found between Exits 2 and 3 of Myeongdong Station, along subway line No. 4, at a fork in the road by the Pacific Hotel. From here, you see a really adorable picture, and then continue on to an unassuming alley.

Continue on and you see stairs!

Voila, you continue and then you will find an alley of artwork. This is basically, the "cartoon hill" which opens in front of the Seoul Animation Center. It has cartoon characters from 40 artists, including Lee Hyun-se, Huh Young-man, and Hwang Mi-na.

The street is also host to many events. In February 2014, individual cartoonists were invited every Saturday to Zaemirang to spend time with their fans and draw pictures while a "Cartoon Concert" of indie bands performed. The "Cartoon Street Festival" in November 2014 featured cartoon stories, a costume play photo tour of cartoon clubs, and Korean traditional dress and games. At the end of the street, you will finally come out on the main road and see the Animation Center. Before that, you will come across a random Elvis store.

I tried to check what was happening there, but the door was locked. It was odd, because finding Elvis in Korea is so unusual, especially as I am exploring a particularly Korean pop culture. Anyways, from there, I see the Seoul Animation Center - Here is the image from outside!

Its an old but colorful building, and was established by the Seoul Metropolitan Government in 1999. The center is quite functional and runs an information desk, offers educational programs, holds events to support new talents and productions, and hosts diverse events and exhibitions. Once you go inside, there is a lot to do, from dress up to animation gallery to VR games. The gallery is upstairs and worth a look.

Inside, there is also a large AniCinema for diverse cultural events and films. Moreover, there is also Comic & animation education for children, and youth (you can try making stop-motion cartoons there) and there is a library and a movie room. Not to mention lots of photo-ops.

No comments

About me

Follow Galati

Popular posts