애견도 렌탈한다는거...아시나요?

Dogs for rent: how do they feel?

 

Jang's family which lives in Dogok-dong, southern Seoul, recently spent a dreamy two weeks with a rental dachshund "Jerry." Jang only planned to have Jerry to stay for five days, but the kids loved him so much that Jang had to extend.

"Many customers extend the rental period. Kids in particular hate to return them. Some just end up buying the dog because they become so attached to it," said Park Jeong-hwan, president of Dog Rent, a dog rental shop based online.

While some extend the rents, however, some confessed that they felt guilty while being with the dogs.

"My kids wanted a dog so badly so we decided to try renting one first, to see what it would be like. Of course, the kids loved it. I also tried my best to make it feel at home, but I couldn't help feeling guilty because I knew the whole renting thing probably wasn't good for the dog," said Rho, the father of a family in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, who also rented Jerry.

"The dog was a little timid, maybe because it had to move homes so frequently. It was personally a good experience but I don't know if I want to recommend this service to friends or hope more services like this would appear," Rho said.

Dog rental is not yet well-known in Korea, but is popular in Japan. Opened in July 2009, Dog Rent is one of Korea's first companies to offer the service. Some pet shops are planning to open rental services.

Dog Rent, however, does not exclusively handle rental dogs. It is part of a broader company that lends toys and game supplies to churches, university students and companies. Park said that he had tried to launch the dog rental service in 2005 but failed, due to delivery problems.

"All delivery services at that time were done mechanically, with boxes being thrown around on conveyor belts. Dogs couldn't be carried like that. So when subway delivery services opened last year, our dog rental service could finally start," said Park.

"The deliveryman carries the dog in a carrier, so that it is safe and it does not bother subway passengers. It gives our customers more confidence, too," said Park.

Park said that the waiting list was quite long at this time of year. Families with children on vacation, single families and couples going on short trips are the shop's main customers.

The rental fee ranges between 50,000 won to 70,000 won for three days and 70,000 won to 120,000 won for one week. It varies according to the kind of dog. Families in the Gangnam area especially look for expensive pedigree dogs, said Park.

"We lend perfectly healthy dogs which have completed their checkups and are vaccinated. Customers can return them if they are sick. In case of death, we follow the policy terms that are given out with the dogs," said Park.

"But not a single rental has gone wrong. We even give out protection gloves with ones that tend to bite. And most of our dogs don't bark much so they will be quiet enough to keep in an apartment building."

Park said customers do not have to worry that the dogs will suffer from stress.

"The types we have are ones that do not easily get stressed out. They do recognize their owners but are usually delighted to be around new people. They do get a little confused when they are in a new environment, but they adapt themselves within a few hours," Park said.

Lee Won-bok, president of Korea Association for Animal Protection, has a different opinion.

"Dogs also have feelings and memories, just like humans. If a dog is treated like a doll or an accessory, having to move from house to house, the confusion and the difference in affection the dog has to experience will create a certain amount of stress for the dog," Lee said.

"It should be made clear whether the rental shops have a license or not, what kind of license they have, and how they manage the breeding environment," he added.

Lee also raised concerns about the borrowers.

"Renting a dog could make kids think that dogs are not precious pets or members of their family but just toys," he said.

"And it is hard to expect as much responsibility, devotion and affection from borrowers as from owners. Considering that there are even some people who mistreat their own pets, I am sure that some of the borrowers might purposely mistreat the rental dogs."

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young

 

'이모그래피' 허회태 인터뷰

'Emography' touches America

 

After giving out a shout of concentration, Huh Hwe-tae started a stroke on a giant Chinese drawing paper with an arm-length brush. His moves showed no hesitation. The room grew silent except for the sound of a machine rubbing an ink stick on an ink stone. The powerful act was finished in less than 10 minutes but Huh's nose was sprinkled with sweat. The completed work contained bold black strokes with an orange circle on top. In a way, it looked like a bright sun peeking out behind tall mountains.

"I wrote 'Sae Achim (New Morning)' in Korean letters, hoping for a great 2010. Yes, it also looks like a picture of a new sun rising on a New Year's Day," the 53-year-old calligrapher told The Korea Herald at his studio in Bangbae-dong, southern Seoul.

The curious piece which lies somewhere in between a painting and a calligraphy work is actually an "Emography" work. It is a conjugation of two words - emotion and calligraphy.

Huh came up with this new concept in 2005 to describe his new genre of art which is not only calligraphy but also a painting filled with symbolism and imagery.

"The idea of expressing emotions within the smallest forms of letters - such as a dot or a stroke - can be highly attractive to everyone," he said.

The concept did not come to him overnight. It was his nearly 50 years of practicing calligraphy, painting and seal engraving that enabled it.

Known as a child prodigy, Huh amassed awards in calligraphy contests since the age of 15. He held his first solo exhibition while in high school. He was an ambitious teenager who proclaimed to have mastered calligraphy, which has a history of 3,000 years.

"I only slept like three hours every day, practicing my calligraphy. I was crazy about it," he said.

By 38, Huh had mastered all the styles known in calligraphy and also won the grand prize in a national competition. Then, he thought it was time he created a style of his own. During the process he thought of Kim Jeong-hui, the legendary calligrapher of the Joseon Dynasty.

"Kim Jeong-hui had his Chusa style which was a perfect fit for his time. I thought there was no way I could surpass him with the existing styles, no matter how well I imitate his. I needed to start something new that is demanded in my time," Huh said.

"I focused on the fact that most letters are considered as nothing more than just letters used within certain countries. They could not be communicated globally. So starting with Korean, I tried to capture imagery in letters that would go global."

Emography is certainly a good fit for the globalized world because any language can be used in it. In fact, Huh is showcasing some works that feature English alphabet letters along with Korean in his traveling exhibition currently underway in the United States.

So far his exhibitions that were held at James Madison University and Eastern Mennonite University in Virginia, and the Korean Embassy in Washington D.C. aroused great attention and were introduced in many media.

"Americans are even more enthusiastic about my works than Koreans. Probably because it is something they have never seen before. They say that the brush strokes are so lively that it feels as if the letters are sucking them into the frames. The colors and lines are all very kaleidoscopic, they say," said Huh.

"I even got a fan letter from a little girl," he added with a chuckle, showing a photo.

In the photo, an American girl about 8 years old was proudly holding up her first Emography work. She had painted a long squiggly line that forms "USA" in purple.

Huh's works not only stay in expositions and museums. They have been used as designs for Korean traditional costumes and furniture.

"I tried to push Korean calligraphy out into the open rather than to leave it isolated from the public - stuck in the frame called 'tradition' or 'oriental.' If it comes out into the open, people will know that Korean calligraphy is like a creative treasure box," he said.

When he is in Korea, Huh gives lessons on Emography. There are about 200 students throughout the country who are eager to follow him.

"Right now the contemporary art world is all about installation works and whimsical ideas. But I am sure that the day will come again, when works that reveal decades of hard work, accumulated experiences and skills stand out, like Emography," Huh said.

Huh's current show at George Mason University in Washington D.C. runs through March 15 and the final show will take place at New York Cultural Center from March 20 to April 20.

For more information on Huh's works, visit www.moosan.net

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young

김연아 _ 올림픽 금메달 노린다

All eyes are on Kim Yu-na

 

Women's figure skating is undoubtedly the highlight of the Winter Olympics for Koreans.

In Vancouver, sports lovers and the media are abuzz about the anticipated showdown between reigning world champion Kim Yu-na of Korea and her Japanese rivals.

Kim is the favorite for gold as she has been dominant for the last two seasons. The 20-year-old skater swept most competitions including the 2008 Cup of China, the 2009 ISU Four Continents Championship, the 2009 ISU World Figure Skating Championship, 2008 and 2009 Skate America, 2009 Trophee Eric Bompard, and the 2009 ISU Grand Prix Final.

Her only loss since the 2008 World Championship was the 2008 Grand Prix Final in Korea in which she put on a difficult show before her unbelievably boisterous hometown fans.

Kim not only topped the rest of the games, but also set monstrous new records. She became the first woman to top the 200-point mark at 2009 World Figure Skating Championship in Los Angeles with 207.71 points, then broke her own mark in the following 2009 Grand Prix Competition in Paris with an unbeatable 210.03.

It is no wonder that the media is focusing on Kim for this worldly event.

Time magazine chose Kim as one of the "Olympic Athletes to Watch" as did the Associated Press, reporting that "anything less than gold will be a surprise" for Kim.

British weekly newspaper "The Observer" included Kim as one of the "Vancouver 2010: Five to watch," saying she is "an absolute sure-thing to win gold."

"Her closest rival is Japan's Mao Asada, and competition should be intriguing between them in Vancouver, but Yu-na is the sport's undoubted queen," the paper reported.

If she wins this one she will be taking home Korea's first-ever Olympic gold medal in figure skating. At home, where Kim is a national superstar, nearly 50 million people are cheering for "Queen Yu-na."

It would be a dream come true for Kim and also her coach Brian Orser, a Canadian Olympic contender who came close to gold in 1988.

"Whenever I perform well in a competition, I say to myself, 'this should have been the Olympics.' I really want to see the words 'Kim Olympic Champion' in the news," she said in an interview last year.

Kim is currently in Toronto for some final training. She will arrive in Vancouver five days before her short program, which is scheduled for Feb. 24 for field adaption.

There are many others hoping to take Kim's crown. Including Kim, 30 female figure skaters from 21 countries will be competing in Vancouver this month. Among them, 2008 world champion Mao Asada and 2007 world champion Miki Ando, both from Japan, will be the biggest opponents for Kim.

Asada, Kim's longtime rival, suffered through many obstacles last year but regained her confidence after clinching the Four Continents title in Korea last month, just in time for the Olympics.

The two skaters of the same age have been competing ever since they were juniors. Asada was the winner of the same two games Kim had lost in 2008.

It was her famous triple axel jump that led Asada to the first victory and made her world champion. Now, with her triple axels looking polished again, Asada is a challlenge to Kim for the top spot.

Asada mentioned that she is 80 percent ready to win the gold in Vancouver in a recent interview.

"I was being chased after I first won the 2008 World Championship but now I'm the one who is supposed to chase. I usually charge towards new goals so going after someone on the top is OK for me. Right now Kim Yu-na is at the top," she said.

A bit overshadowed by Kim and Asada, but still a competent skater is Miki Ando. The 23-year-old is the only female skater who has ever successfully performed a quadruple jump in competition.

She recently showed a great performance in the ISU Figure Skating Grand Prix Final held in Tokyo in December 2009. She finished second, following Kim with a slim margin.

Ando's coach, Nikolai Morozov, claimed in a recent interview that his student can beat Kim.

"Miki can beat Kim Yu-na. She beat her in the short at the Grand Prix Final. She lost the free by a few points. They (Ando, Kim, and Asada) all have a chance; it depends on the preparation, it depends on who is healthy (and) if it all comes together on the day," Morozov said.

Though most expect the first three places to be dominated by Asian skaters, some Canadian and American skaters are also paving their way towards medals. Joannie Rochette, who will be enjoying a home advantage this year, is an example.

The 24-year-old Canadian won her sixth consecutive Canadian national title last weekend with a total score of 208.23 points. Though the event is not recognized by the International Skating Union, her clean performance was enough to surprise fans.

"I'm not putting on myself any expectation of winning the gold. Yes, I think if I do a program like this it's possible I can win, but I don't want to think about the end result. This is a sport where, the moment you start thinking, you miss," she told the press after her impressive game.

Not many, including Americans, expect U.S. skaters Rachel Flatt, 17, or Mirai Nagasu, 16, to bring back the country's reputation as the most powerful country in women's figure skating. It seems impossible for the young and less experienced skaters to break the Asian Big Three - Kim, Asada and Ando.

However, some spectators are counting on U.S. champion Flatt in the case that one of the Asian skaters falters. As the Associated Content said, Flatt has "nothing to lose but everything to gain".

The Washington Post said "She (Flatt) also holds the distinction of being the only woman to top Kim in a program this season; on a rare off night for Kim at Skate America in November, Flatt scored better in the long program."

The women's skating single short program is to be held on Feb. 24 and the free skating program on Feb. 26, both at Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver.

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young

한국 쇼트트랙 -

Korean short track team hopes for repeat

 

Korea's biggest gold medal winner at the Winter Olympics has always been the short track squad.

It has brought home 29 medals, including 17 gold, out of the 31 overall medals the country has earned at the event so far. It had 10 short track medals, including six gold, at the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics.

This month in Vancouver, eight gold medals are available in short track speed skating. Korea is modestly aiming for three of them, with three-time gold medalists Ahn Hyun-soo and Jin Sun-yu absent due to injuries.

And it is the men's team - composed of Lee Ho-suk, Lee Jung-su, Sung Si-bak, Kwak Yoon-gy, Kim Seung-il - that the golds are expected from. Hopes are high for the world's strongest team in the 1,000-meter, the 1,500-meter and the 5,000-meter relay.

Lee Ho-suk, the oldest on the team, is a top contender for gold. The 24-year-old skater is the veteran on the team with two previous Olympic experiences.

Though he played his part in clinching the gold in the 3,000-meter relay in Turin, Lee had been overshadowed in individual races by Ahn and had to settle for two silvers. This time, with Ahn out, Lee has to skate with all the expectations and pressure on his shoulders.

Seong Si-bak, 23, and Lee Jung-su, 21, are also expected to top the individual races. Another interest would be who of the three would bring home the most medals. AP recently predicted Lee Jung-su to win a triple crown this year, based on last year's short track world cup records.

The women's team - composed of Kim Min-jung, Cho Ha-ri, Choi Jung-won, Lee Eun-byul and Park Seung-hi - however, faces stiff competition against China. The two countries have been rivals in this sport for quite a long time now.

Although the Korean team had swept three golds out of four in Turin, it had to give up its world champion title to the powerful Wang Meng-led China team in most events held during the last two years.

Many expect that the top two spots in women's individual races in Vancouver will be dominated by China's Wang, 25, and Zhou Yang, 19, both world No. 1 in the 500 meter and 1,000 meter, and the 1500 meter, respectively.

So instead, Korea is focusing on the 3,000-meter relay. When it comes to the relay, the Korean ladies have been unbeatable since 1994.

"I want to win gold in the 3,000-meter relay and record five consecutive victories. Winning the gold medal in the relay is the priority right now, not individual races," said Cho Ha-ri.

But the team did not get to practice much on relay ever since they arrived in Calgary earlier this month because of some Chinese strategy analysts who often visited to spy on the Korean team. They even recorded the team's training sessions on video, stated the athletes.

"We couldn't train hard for the relay because if our strategy gets revealed, it becomes useless. We just had to settle with individual practices," said Kim Min-jung, 24, the oldest on the women's team.

Though time is not measured in short track speed skating, the good news is that all the Korean skaters have been breaking their own lap time records in Calgary, especially the women's team. They have been racing against the men's team, imagining they are the Chinese.

"Our athletes' personal lap times are getting shorter and shorter. It could be because of the good quality of ice here, but anyhow it means that their conditions are getting better and better," said the team's head coach Kim Gi-hun.

The men's 1,500-meter final is to be held on Feb. 14, the 1,000-meter final on Feb. 24, the 500-meter final and 5,000-meter relay final on Feb. 27. The women's 500-meter final is to be held on Feb. 18, the 1,500-meter final on Feb. 21, the 3,000-meter relay final on Feb. 25 and the 1,000-meter final on Feb. 27. The venue is the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver B.C.

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young

조영남 전시 리뷰~

Cho's 'extraordinary endeavors' on show

 

Veteran pop star Cho Young-nam has more talents than singing. He can paint, write and he also hosts radio shows. He modestly calls these activities his "ttanjit," or "extraordinary endeavors."

"In some sense, I've been making extraordinary endeavors all my life. I entered the vocal music department in Seoul National University, where I did not end up doing classical music but became a pop singer and also started to paint. Then I suddenly went to Trinity Biblical University and studied music there. And I didn't get much sleep lately, writing a book," He said at a recent press conference.

His "extraordinary endeavors," however, became much more than just a hobby.

He has been hosting his own radio show "The Radio World of Cho Young-nam and Choi Yoo-ra" for 18 years, he published numerous books on art and culture and became known in the art community as the "hwatu artist" He has held more than 50 solo exhibitions in and out of the country.

A sample of his interests are showcased at his solo exhibition "Ode to Extraordinary Endeavors" currently underway at Lotte Gallery in central Seoul.

There, one can find his paintings featuring "hwatu," or Korean playing cards pictured with colored flowers, as well as others depicting musical notes and paintings he created in memory of Yi Sang, a late Korean poet and writer.

His hwatu paintings, which have became his trademark, symbolize his love for art while the musical notes, of course, signify his singing career. In some paintings, the two subjects are painted together.

"Art and music are not separated, but are one in my mind. My songs are touching enough when I paint well and my paintings are moving when I sing well," he said.

The paintings for Yi Sang are in connection with his book to be published next month.

"There are many papers about Yi Sang but not an appropriate manual to easily understand his work. So I set to work. I've always thought that Yi is better than occidental poets such as Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Edgar Allen Poe or T.S. Eliot, and I realized I was right while I was working on the book," Cho said.

Being computer-illiterate, he wrote the book by hand. Perhaps he was too absorbed in his work - he was recently hospitalized for about a week due to a stroke.

On the opening day of his exhibition, however, Cho seemed to be healthy as ever. He hosted the opening of the exhibition almost on his own, shoving his microphone in front of visitors' faces and asking them questions.

His friends and fans seemed excited at the chance to share their anecdotes about Cho. Some of them were the actual subjects that appeared in Cho's recent work "Terracotta Warrior Female Friends 2."

Cho pasted the faces of his "girl friends" - including TV celebrities like Lee Kyung-sil, Song Eun-ee and Park Mi-sun, as well as his daughter - onto replicated bodies of ancient Chinese terracotta warriors.

"Like how the warriors did for Emperor Qin Shi Huang, I believe these friends will guard me after my death. I asked them in advance, to send me their photos if they are willing to keep me safe afterwards, and these are the ones who did," he said proudly. Well-known for his numerous female friends, he admitted that he gets inspiration from them.

"Inspiration? Of course I get it from young, pretty, nice and rich girls. I enjoy chatting, reading books, watching movies and shopping with them."

The exhibition runs through Feb. 17 at Lotte Gallery in Avenuel in Sogong-dong, central Seoul. For more information, call (02) 726-4428.

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young

미술전시도 3D로!

Galleries join 3-D craze

 

Art galleries and museums are joining in the worldwide 3-D craze stirred up by the mega-hit movie "Avatar."

Led by the Savina Museum of Contemporary Art, 17 galleries and museums in Seoul are holding a 3-D exhibition titled "United Museum Collection" together online.

The 3-D exhibition is underway at the website www.artseoul-museum.com. The virtual museum is similar to a real museum in the sense that as it is hard to renovate or expand its rooms due to the complicated nature of special 3-D effects.

The exhibition is divided into five divisions displaying 17 representative works, one from each gallery. The participating galleries include the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul Arts Center, Daelim Contemporary Art Museum, Kumho Museum, Art Center Nabi and Posco Art Museum.

Clicking on the arrows placed on each side of the screen, visitors can move around the virtual museum. It is furnished with couches, stairs and lights, just like in real museums.

Further information on displays, such as the size or artist profile, is available through clicking on the artwork. The only downside for now is that services are provided in Korean only.

Museum curator Gang Jae-hyun said that the 3-D museum will be continuously upgraded to provide multi-language services and offer works of various genres.

"After this exhibition, special exhibitions that feature certain themes are planned to be held in the latter half of this year. We are preparing to exhibit different kinds of artworks then, including sculptures and installation works," said Gang.

The website, which has been created to establish a network between national, public and private art museums and galleries throughout the country, also showcases collections of each participating gallery.

"It is organized so that more people can enjoy different museums' collections at one stop - online. Currently 90 artworks from 17 museums and galleries are on display, but the number will increase in the future," said Lee Myung-ok, director of the Savina Museum of Contemporary Art.

Online educational art programs will also be offered through the website within the year.

"When opened, children will easily be able to learn more about art at home with their parents," said Gang.

The current exhibition runs through July 31.

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young

손에 손잡고- 커플 메이크업 받는 시대

Prim males

 

A woman watches her boyfriend getting a makeover [Ahn Hoon / The Korea Herald]

Nam Won-chul, a 24-year-old university student, was shocked when he spotted hair wax, a tube of foaming cleanser, powder compact and a hand mirror in his friend's bag.

"He just nonchalantly said that now men need to take care of their own looks too," Nam said.

Though it might yet come as a surprise to some people, more and more men are using makeup. They enjoy not only basic skin care like skin lotion and lip balm but full makeup from creamy foundation bases to smoky eyeliners.

Following the trend, makeup salons for men are gaining popularity.

Loft:D, a makeup studio in Seogyo-dong, western Seoul, which opened last year, is a pioneer in the domain.

"Men are interested in looking good, too. I thought men also had the right to enjoy their life, looking good with cool makeup on," said Kim Doo-ha, director of Loft:D.

For men who are not yet familiar with makeup, the shop prepared a menu which customers can select from, as if choosing a drink at a cafe. The menu, which will continuously be updated, currently has three types of makeup for men -- "Basic," "Soft Smoky" and "Real Smoky."

"Basic" simply covers up the blemishes, while "Soft Smoky" adds some accent to the eyes with brown underlines. To get an idea of "Real Smoky," well, think of Big Bang member T.O.P.'s eyes.

But if you are still not so sure which one to get, just inform the makeup artist about the occasion.

"I just tell the artist where I'm headed, for example the club or some important photo shoot, and she fixes me up with the most natural look that fits into the occasion. I usually ask for stronger looks when I'm going clubbing, which makes me feel like I'm dressing up for Halloween," said Shin, 25, a regular customer who visited the shop last Tuesday.

"I spent many years in Japan where it is natural for guys to shape their eyebrows, so putting on some makeup is not weird for me at all. I think men putting on makeup will soon be settled as a culture in Korea, just like how men getting perms did."

Typical male customers to the salons include performers, lecturers, salesmen, those who have important interviews or even blind dates coming up.

"They have specific demands, like 'I want to cover up these blemishes' or 'please lighten up the dark circles under my eyes,'" said Kim.

"Wearing makeup must add confidence to men, like it does to women. A lecturer told me that he gave a far better speech when he wore makeup," Kim added.

Now the shop has expanded its services to women, who get to choose from nine different options.

Women make up about 60 to 70 percent of Loft:D's customers but there are some who bring -- or drag -- their boyfriends with them. They receive a unique service named the "Couple Makeup Event."

The service includes makeup service for the couple, drinks, snacks and two hours in a private photo studio. A professional photographer takes pictures of the couple once the makeover is finished and the couple can take home a small album.

"Your skin looks so smooth!" a couple exclaimed to each other after getting the makeover. They had stopped by on their way to enjoy some wine at a classic bar nearby.

"He used to look like this back in high school. It would be weird if he says he wants to wear makeup like this everyday, but looking at him now, I'm thinking some more skin treatment on him would be nice," said one satisfied girlfriend, 24-year-old Kim Jwa-young.

Goups of girlfriends often visit the salon to celebrate or commemorate something. Nine 29-year-old women had recently visited to capture the final days of their gorgeous 20s.

"We would like our shop to become a comfortable place where men and women can freely get makeup and hangout. We have lots of customers who became our friends or who became friends with each other. We throw parties every now and then," said Cho Kang-hoon, also director of the studio.

Price for makeup for men ranges from 12,000 won to 17,000 won, for women it ranges from 20,000 won to 30,000 won. Couple makeup event costs 70,000 won. For more information, visit www.loft-d.co.kr.

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young

노르웨이 공예 전시

Norwegian crafts in Insa-dong

 

European crafts have made their way into the definitive street for traditional Korean artworks and crafts.

Titled "Construction," an exhibition is showcasing 25 works by 16 Norwegian artists at the basement floor of the Korea Craft Promotion Foundation building in Insa-dong, central Seoul.

The show, supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Norwegian Association for Arts and Crafts, landed in Seoul recently after visiting Ireland, Russia, Spain and Chile.

"The main point of this exhibition is that it moved away from the dominant trend in Norwegian decorative arts and crafts since the 1990s which focused on the physical form and structure of the craft. Rather, the exhibits concentrate on the making process, the unique techniques that were used and how they are expressed in the completed work," said Edith Lundebrekke, the exhibition curator.

It's hard to tell if the experimental pieces should be called artworks or crafts. Each artist has created a whimsical piece based on unique techniques.

For example, Marit Helen Akslen weaved a beautiful long white dress by buttoning shirt collars together.

Marianne Moe made triangle-shaped bags using clasps from Norwegian traditional costumes. She sewed textiles with salmon photos on one of them to make the "Salmon Bag" and hiking anoraks to make the "Anorak Bag," which both remind of her country.

All exhibits, though, demonstrate how form and idea are interwoven and how it is not possible to separate the technique used from the underlying idea or meaning behind it.

The exhibition runs through Feb. 9. Admission is free. For more information, call (02) 733-9040 or visit www.kcpf.or.kr

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young