Warmth, comfort of handmade crafts

A hand-carved ceramic vessel, an origami-inspired molded ceramic bowl and a tree-shaped vertical wooden clothes rack. The craftwork to be showcased at the ninth edition of the Craft Trend Fair on Thursday at Coex attempts to bring elegance and warmth to functional modern lifestyles.

It is the biggest showcase of craftwork in Korea, and its 2014 exhibition is dealing with a theme entitled “Temperature of Craft at 36.5 degrees Celsius” to highlight the heartwarming humanism of handmade craftwork.

“More people look for a slow-paced life while living in this fast-changing world. The craft fair this year seeks to meet the need to take things easy and bring the warmth, comfort and tranquility to the modern life through the craftworks,” said artistic director Sohn Moon-su.

The fair explores both the efficiency and aesthetics of craft. Defying the prejudice that craft is only for display, the fair presents tableware, furniture and ceramic ware that are of practical use to the modern lifestyle. It also presents craft highlighted by their aesthetic qualities such as jewelry, sculptures and artistically crafted ceramics. 

This year’s fair invites foreign craft artists from England, France and Taiwan, whose works are expected to offer a glimpse into the world’s craft trend. The Craft Council in the U.K. will bring furniture designed by top four craft artists under the theme of “Raw Craft.” The Ateliers d’Art de France will showcase accessories and jewelry items of 14 French designers. From Taiwan, craftworks made with natural materials such as wood, marble, ceramic and more, will show the practicality and aesthetics of Taiwanese craftworks evolving from their traditional techniques and design.

Visitors are expected to find holiday gifts in the selection of affordable and popular craftworks by the Korea Craft and Design Foundation, organizer of the fair.

“This year, we are introducing works of young craft designers and students who are about to debut in the craft market,” said Choi Jung-chul, director of the KCDF.

The Korea exhibition showcased at Milan Design Week in April this year will be shown to the Korean public again, introducing the beauty and rich heritage of Korean craft. The exhibition of a variety of artistic and quality craftworks is brought together under the theme “Constancy and Change,” which focuses on the natural beauty of materials realized through consummate craftsmanship that has been passed on for generations.

The fair also features a forum to be attended by craft designers and galleries from around the world from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Dec. 20. The participating speakers include Rosy Greenlees, executive director of the Crafts Council in the U.K., Hu Yu-tsung of NDD Design in Taiwan, architect Franco e Matteo Origoni and Sarah Myerscough, president of Sarah Myerscough gallery in London.

Tickets can be purchased at the ticket office near the entrance for 8,000 won or online for 4,000 won.

The fair opens at 11 a.m. and closes at 7 p.m. from Thursday to Saturday. The fair closes on 6 p.m. on Sunday.

By Lee Woo-young (wylee@heraldcorp.com)