Intangible Heritage Festival to foster public dialogue on heritage

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the National Intangible Heritage Center's establishment, the NIHC is hosting the 2023 Intangible Heritage Festival at its site in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province.

Running from Sept. 1 to 10, the festival also is a tribute to the 20th anniversary of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage — a UNESCO treaty adopted by the UNESCO General Conference in October 2003.

At the opening ceremony on Sept. 1, some 240 individuals and organizations designated as intangible cultural heritages, will be honored with recognition awards. Representative holders will also take the opportunity to share their thoughts on the value of preserving intangible cultural heritage for them to be enjoyed continuously by the general public.

A contemporary talchum performance will take place on the first three days of the festival. Jointly organized by the talchum preservation committee and talchum performers, the creative performance blends historical traditions with present-day narratives to provide audiences with a deeper understanding of talchum's role.

Throughout the festival period, a diverse array of six programs will be offered, including galleries, media art exhibitions, performances, film screenings and academic seminars.

A special exhibition will showcase 196 distinct works spanning various artistic fields, crafted by 65 national intangible heritage holders and 35 transmitters. The exhibition is scheduled to run until Oct. 1, after the festival period.

From Sept. 1 to 3, master artisans in the fields of "maedeup" (knot making), "jogak" (metal engraving), "gungsi" (bow and arrow making), "somok" (wood furniture making) and "chimseon" (needlework) will come together to provide live demonstrations of basic crafts and explain their representative works to the audience.

Meanwhile, the 2023 World Forum for Intangible Cultural Heritage will be hosted at the center on Sept. 1 and 2, bringing together experts from over 40 different countries to exchange ideas concerning the universal commitment and shared responsibility of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage.

During the forum, a documentary film reflecting on the nine-year history since the launch of the International Intangible Heritage Film Festival will also be screened.

Starting Sept. 5, engaging experience programs tailored for families and children, along with live gugak and talchum performances, will take place.

On Sept. 9, visitors will have the opportunity to participate in "juldarigi," a Korean traditional community game similar to tug of war. Juldarigi was inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2015.

Admission is free, but seats can be limited for indoor performances. The program details can be found at the NIHC's official website.