Exhibition juxtaposes iron, glass -- two products of intense heat

A bowler-turned-blacksmith, Jeong Hyeong-goo finds it surreal to hear people call him an artisan, a description he says he will probably get used to by the time the two-month exhibition of his metal works ends in October.

“The Craft of Temperature and Sound: A Guide to the Four Seasons,” which opens Thursday at the Yeol Korean Heritage Preservation Society showroom, is this year’s annual showcase of works by the Yeol artisan of the year and Yeol young craftsperson of the year, organized by the private foundation.

“I hadn’t expected to be named, not at all,” Jeong said in an interview with The Korea Herald on Monday. “The past year was refreshing to some extent. I got to try out a newer way of producing iron objects,” he added, referring to the yearlong project that began last year when he was named artisan of the year by Yeol and charged to come up with creations to exhibit from Aug. 22 to Oct. 19 this year.

The exhibition focuses on homewares and objects made from iron -- gardening tools, vases, bowls, pots for flowers and fire, and stands for everyday items like umbrellas and fans. The collection marks a departure from Jeong’s previous creations over the last 28 years, which had more to do with industrial uses.

“It wasn’t easy churning them out, but the journey, as I now call it, was quite interesting because I had a partner along the way,” Jeong, 57, said, pointing to Park Jie-min, 37, the glass artist recognized as the young craftsperson of the year.

Park, who holds a master of fine arts in glass from Rhode Island School of Design in the US, said she too was surprised to get the call from Yeol last year, though she has been participating in exhibitions of glass objects overseas. “Ashes to Ashes,” her latest overseas show, started its two-month run in July at New York’s Window Gallery in Brooklyn.

Park is known for fusing glass with ash and soot, which gives her works their characteristic color. Everyday items like newspapers and leaves are burned, and whatever remains after is captured in the glass.

Flower vases are one of the creations on display at the Yeol showroom.

“What I find fascinating about glass is that it’s unpredictable,” Park said, describing it as both fragile and sturdy, depending on the surrounding temperature. “Sometimes you do know why it breaks at a specific temperature. Often, you just don’t and you want to find that out eventually doing what you do,” Park added.

The plasticity of glass when exposed to extreme heat, which Park described as “jelly-like,” inspires her to continue her experiment with the material. “And I had always known that I like something transparent.”

Designer Yang Teo, the project director tasked with setting the exhibition’s theme, said he looked for relatability.

“Iron and glassmaking often go unnoticed despite the work being very demanding, especially in the summer when blacksmiths and artists alike find their workplace beyond unbearable,” Yang said during a preopening tour Tuesday.

“So we wanted to show something ordinary people can identify with and give them a chance to really come to understand the sweat and perseverance behind each work on display,” Yang added.

Yeol has been holding an exhibition of the Yeol artisan of the year and Yeol young craftsperson of the year annually since 2013. In 2022, Chanel Korea joined as a sponsor in a five-year partnership and has since renewed it for another five through 2028.