Boundary blurs between art, household goods

Seoul Living Design Fair 2012 introduces latest designs and inspiring artworks


A wide spectrum of household goods is found at Seoul Living Design Fair 2012 currently underway at COEX Hall A in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul. The difference between a mart and the fair, though, is that every piece is artistic in its own way.

Established by magazine publishing company Design House in 1994, the fair has become one of the biggest events of its kind and attracts about 150,000 visitors every year.

Under the theme “Art in Everyday Life,” over 180 companies and designers are showcasing their latest designs of various goods from tableware and home appliances to curtains, lighting, gardening tools and furniture.

A special division dedicated to designers of various fields adds to the artistic vibe of the fair. Four figures ― space designer Hong Dong-hee, ironmonger Choi Hong-gyu, fashion designer Seo Young-hee and hair designer Lee Sang-il ― each filled up a booth with their unique creations that were seemingly unrelated to their current careers.

Lee, for example, transformed the 27-meter-long and 10-meter-wide space allocated to him into his own funeral. Covered from top to toe in black and white flowers made of pleated tissues, the space is solemn in a weird way.

At the entrance hangs Lee’s hair dressing gown and three bowls of rice. A pair of black boots are found on the small table in front of it. A girl hands out a white tissue chrysanthemum and explains that it should be placed after offering condolences to the deceased.

Looking ahead, there is a self-portrait by Lee is in the middle of the space. Behind that, a white blanket is covering what seems to be his body. But the designer is walking around the exhibition space, alive and kicking.

“Everyone dies, once in their lifetime. I wanted to sublimate the feeling into art. My job is to create beauty in hairstyles, but I believe what is ultimately important is to beautify the inside. So I named this work ‘Last Beauty,’” Lee told The Korea Herald, adding that it was not eerie producing the work. Instead, he said, it allowed him to confront himself more frankly than ever.

The designer enjoys doing art in his free time, and the fair’s organizers, who learned about his artistic life through the media and insider talk, invited him to show his artwork to the public for a change.

Visitors have to pass by portraits of his wife, daughter and son on the way to see Lee’s “body.” His mourners are dressed in traditional dress, but Lee gave a modern twist to the portraits by adding a Hermes bag by his wife’s side and smartphones in his children’s hands.

“My family was (not sad but) rather excited for me for this exhibition. They cheered me on, a hair designer who is trying something creative in my private life as well,” Lee told The Korea Herald.

A special exhibition of Chinese contemporary living art designs held in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of Korea-China diplomatic relationships is another notable section of the fair. Visitors can see reinterpretations of Chinese traditional furniture by the country’s hottest artists such as Song Tao, who represented his nation in the 2011 Venice Art Biennale.

Seoul Living Design Fair 2012 runs through March 11 at COEX Hall A in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul. Admission is 10,000 won for general visitors and 8,000 won for buyers. For more information, call (02) 6002-8300~2 or visit www.livingdesignfair.co.kr.

By Park Min-young (claire@heraldcorp.com)