푸마, 탄소중립적 기업으로 재탄생

Puma aims to be first carbon neutral sportswear company

 

Fashion and sportswear companies have kept rather quiet about carbon footprints, while other industries competitively launch offset policies. Puma, however, says it is taking on an ambitious initiative to make an eco-friendly leap.

At “The Business for the Environment Summit” the world’s third-largest sport and lifestyle goods maker announced its goal to become the first carbon neutral company in the sportswear industry. The conference was held in Seoul on Thursday in observance of Earth Day.

“To be the first carbon neutral company is the next logical step in our mission to become the most desirable and sustainable company in the sport and lifestyle industry,” Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and CEO of Puma, told the press before giving his speech at the summit.

Co-hosted by the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Knowledge Economy, UN Global Compact, World Wide Fund for Nature and the United Nations Environment Program, B4E is the world’s biggest summit to discuss a variety of environment-related issues. About 1,000 CEOs and high-profile figures participated in the three-day conference which ended yesterday.

Puma plans to tame its direct and indirect carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by undertaking carbon-offsetting projects in Africa, while considering the needs of local communities and conservation of biodiversity. The company also aims to curb the carbon to be generated by the many Puma-sponsored national soccer teams when they take international and domestic air flights for the World Cup in South Africa this summer.

“We started a long-term sustainability program to reduce our energy and water consumption, waste and CO2 emissions by 25 percent by 2010. But that still leaves 75 percent. We are not quite yet ready to invest into new carbon neutral technologies. So we want to mitigate the remaining parts by offsetting carbon in Africa,” said Zeitz.

“Businesses should feel responsible for their carbon footprints. We are also taking UNEP’s challenge to offset our football teams’ international travels to South Africa very seriously. We hope in doing so that we inspire other stakeholders in the FIFA World Cup 2010 to follow suit,” the executive stressed.

The portfolio of Puma’s offsetting projects follow internationally accepted standards, such as the Clean Development Mechanism and the Gold Standard and Voluntary Emission Reduction standards.

Puma is making efforts to reduce carbon emissions internally as well. It has been collecting Environmental Key Performance Indicators from all its offices, warehouses and stores worldwide for the last five years to determine the company’s total carbon footprint on an annual basis.

The company also established a new Puma Vision Headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany last year which is the first carbon-neutral, company head-office in the sporting goods industry. In addition, the company will also require most of its other local offices to switch to electricity from renewable sources.

“PUMA will also support the offsetting of its employees’ carbon footprints by subsidizing those emissions generated on the way to and from work by 50 percent,” said Zeitz.

Puma’s carbon-cutting policy does not include CO2 emissions through transport and manufacturing of its products, but the company is making efforts in the area by introducing new packaging systems.

One of the key features is the “Clever Little Bag,” a combined shoe box and carrier bag which was unveiled last week. Designed by San Francisco based industrial designer Yves Behar, the bag is supposed to reduce water and paper use by more than 60 percent annually.

Why is it so clever? The designers explained that by providing structure to a cardboard sheet, the bag uses 65 percent less cardboard than the standard shoe box, has no laminated printing, no tissue paper, takes up less space and weighs less in shipping, and replaces the plastic retail bag.

Puma’s apparel collections will be bagged using sustainable biodegradable material as well, replacing current polyethylene, plastic and paper bags. This means that 720 tons of polyethylene bags, 192 tons of plastic and 293 tons of paper use can be avoided every year.

The roll out of the new packaging system is planned for the second half of 2011.

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

천경우 작가, "여왕되기" 프로젝트

A photographer’s quest to find your ‘inner queen’

 

“Being a Queen #2” by Chun Kyung-woo Kyungwoo Chun

After seeing photographer Chun Kyung-woo’s advertisement in a local newspaper, women -- and one man -- were eager to volunteer for his project, claiming they resembled Queen Margrethe Ⅱ.

They applied to be part of Chun’s project “Being a Queen,” which was conducted for three months in Copenhagen and Aarhus, Denmark, in 2007. The project was supported by the Danish government as a part of the Danish International Visiting Artists Exchange Program.

“The queen has a very special meaning in Denmark. Her influence over the Danish people is dominant. While the British seems to consider their royal family distant from reality, like a fairytale perhaps, the Danish seem to consider their royalties like family,” Chun told the press last week.

Chun is a Korean photographer who currently works in Europe. He is known for his long-exposure photographic portraits that try to view the inner side of subjects.

All 35 applicants had different reasons why they thought they resembled the Danish queen. Some said their appearances were alike, some said their talent in art is similar and some even said that they married an immigrant, just like her. The sole man who participated in the project said that his feminine side is like that of the queen’s.

Chun conducted interviews, selected 19 and dressed them in a blue gala dress the queen would wear. The models then had to sit in front of Chun’s camera for a duration of time which represented their age -- one minute per year. Due to the long exposure, the photos turned out to be foggy, Chun’s signature style.

“Some ask why the photos are out of focus, but actually the focus was always sharp. If I were shooting a still object, it would have come out clear no matter how long the exposure time was. But my subjects were people who cannot help but constantly move,” Chun said.

The models tried their best to look like the queen, but during the long exposure they fidgeted and ended up revealing who they actually are inside, said Chun.

“I wanted to capture each participant’s own perception of the queen and eventually of themselves and their ‘inner queen.’”

Chun already exhibited the photos and some short videos he filmed during the photo shoots at the exhibition “Being a Queen” at Denmark’s Aarhus Art Center last year. The exhibition was co-organized by Galleri Image, Scandinavia’s oldest photo museum, and the Museum of Photography, Seoul.

The same exhibition arrived in Korea and is currently underway at the Museum of Photography, Seoul in Bangi-dong, eastern Seoul. The exhibition runs through June 5. Tickets are 4,000 won for adults and 3,000 won for students.

For more information, call (02) 418-1316 or visit www.photomuseum.or.kr

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

 

젊은모색 30주년 기념전 리뷰

Artists may grow old but their works are timeless

 

Every old man was once an ambitious boy. Artists are no exception.

“I am embarrassed to be reintroducing the works I’ve done in my 20s now in my 60s. Young people tend to be critical towards society, don’t they? I was too, although I now do different kinds of works,” artist Kim Yong-chul told the press Friday at the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Gwacheon.

Kim was one of the 22 rising Korean artists who participated in the “Young Korean Artists Exhibition” organized by the museum in 1981. He had taken a picture of himself holding a blank newspaper and scribbled “This is but a piece of paper” on it with oil paint for the show.

“It was a satire on the newspapers of that time which could not function normally under the military dictatorship. I wrote the sentence in English because I was scared they might come after me after reading it in Korean,” Kim reminisced.

Thirty years have passed and Kim is showcasing the exact same work once again at the 30th Anniversary of the Young Korean Artists show currently running at the museum, not as a young artist but in the capacity of the show’s senior participant.

The exhibition is a round-up of the 30 years since the Young Korean Artists Exhibition. The annual exhibition is arguably the museum’s oldest and most representative show, which produced many leading artists who are now acknowledged in and out of Korea.

Among the 327 artists to participate so far, 43 of them, including Joo Tae-seok, Koo Bohn-chang, Noh Sang-kyoon, Suh Do-ho and Lee Wan are back with the original exhibits they displayed in their first “Young Korean Artists” show, as well as some new works. Half the participants can still pass for young while the other half, like Kim, are now in their 50s and 60s.

“It is hard to say that the selected artists are the representative artists of the exhibition. All 327 artists are important but we had to sort them out considering many conditions like the exhibition space. What is certain, though, is that the exhibition can also be seen as a round-up of the last 30 years of Korean art,” said Lee Chu-young, the exhibition curator.

Indeed, the exhibition showcases a wide array of works not just in terms of time but also in genre. Divided into two sections -- the 1980s room and the 1990s to present room -- the exhibition is packed with 150 paintings, photographs, sculptures, videos and installation works. What is interesting is that one can feel the artists’ youthful enthusiasm in every work, no matter how old the artist is now.

The artists featured in the 1980s room often revealed defiance against society in their works.

Kim Yong-ik, for example, reacted against the conventional art world of the time. Rebelling against an art world in which every artist had to have one significant style or “brand” and stick to it, he rolled up all his drawings in a packet, labeled it “To Kumho Museum” and hung it up as an exhibit.

Rhee Ki-bong, on the other hand, expressed the vanity of knowledge by pouring water on a desk where an encyclopedia lays open.

“One summer day, I stepped into my studio and found my books all wet because rain had leaked from the ceiling. A wet book means death; it is impossible to revive it,” said Rhee.

The installation work, titled “Extra-Ordinary-Late-Summer,” is one of the show’s most eye-catching -- and ear-catching -- exhibits.

Younger artists in the 1990s section tend to be more bold and whimsical.

Starting with photographer Koo Bohn-chang’s well-known work in which he sewed together many photos that each feature a body part to make one big body, visitors can find eerie works by several photographers that focus on human body.

Hong Sung-do assembled photos of the human body and titled it “Plastic Surgery,” while Kim Jun tattooed canvases using a variety of materials to make them look like nasty human skin, took pictures of human bodies and colored them and even tried 3-D tattooing by filming a bunch of small and big pink bubbles growing on an arm.

Lee Wan, who is known for his baseballs made of ground chicken and tools made of ground beef, this time displays a skull made of butter.

Do not be surprised to find the work on the floor, because it was not you but the artist who dropped it. It accidently slipped out of Lee’s hands while he was installing it on the day before the show’s opening. Lee said that he decided to leave it like that, damaged, on the floor.

“It was supposed to be put in a glass case, but seeing it on the floor, I had a feeling that that’s where it belonged. The material seemed to have come to life,” Lee said.

The exhibition runs through June 6 at the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. Tickets are 5,000 won for adults and 3,500 won for youths. For more information, call (02) 2188-6000 or visit www.moca.go.kr

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

자연친화적인 노르웨이 건축

Norwegian buildings at one with nature

 

Eco-friendly buildings that many Seoulites can only dream of are quite common in Norway.

Photos and miniatures of such Norwegian buildings can be found at the “Norwegian Contemporary Architecture” exhibition running at Hongik University Museum in Sangsu-dong, Seoul.

The show covers a wide range of architecture, from subway stations and cabins in the countryside, to churches and research parks.

“The nature that surrounds these architectural constructions is uniquely Norwegian. Still, the dynamic relationship between the urban and the wild is often realized through breathtakingly original architecture that can be universally appreciated,” said Norwegian Ambassador Didrik Tonseth, at the opening ceremony Monday.

The exhibition mainly features two top architecture firms from Norway; Jensen & Skodvin Architects, who are showcasing the highlights of their 14-year history and Jarmand/Vigsnaes Architects who are exhibiting 12 of their projects, all closely related to the challenges posed by the natural environment of Scandinavia.

“Gudbrandsjuvet Landscape Hotel” by Jensen & Skodvin Architects stands out among the exhibits. 

"Gudbrandsjuvet Landscape Hotel" by Jensen & Skodvin Architects (Norwegian Embassy)

The hotel, built from 2007 to 2008 on a mountain on the west coast of Norway, was made to fit into nature without damaging it.

Instead of constructing one gigantic building, the architects came up with the idea of building seven small buildings -- each a room with two beds and one bathroom.

The rooms minimize the use of artificial lighting so that they will not disturb their natural surroundings, have large windows on all sides that practically make up all of the walls and are smartly placed so that none of the windows face another room. Visitors can enjoy the landscape-like view fully, alone.

In conjunction with the exhibition, Karl Otto Ellefsen, professor of architecture and urbanism, and head of the Oslo School of Architecture and Design, will be giving a lecture titled “Relating to Landscape – Contemporary Norwegian Architecture” on April 20 at Hongmungwan, Hongik University.

The exhibition runs through April 23 at Hongik University Museum in Sangsu-dong, central Seoul. The Museum is located on the fourth floor of the university’s Munhwagwan. The exhibition is closed on Saturday and Sunday.

For details about the exhibition or the lecture, call the Hongik School of Architecture at (02) 320-1106 or the Norwegian Embassy in Seoul at (02) 795-6850.

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

Korean fashion designers head for Paris

Ten Korean fashion designers will be offering their works at the world’s biggest fashion trade show in Paris this year, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced yesterday. It is part of the city’s “Seoul’s 10 Soul” project, which aims to globalize Korean fashion brands by 2020.

Michael Hadida (fifth from right) and Choi Hang-do (third from left), director of the global economic headquarters at the Seoul Metropolitan Government, pose with Korean designers selected as “Seoul’s 10 Soul.” (Seoul Metropolitan Government)

Tranoi, which started in 1993, is the most influential fashion trade show in the world with about 120 mens’ brands, 300 womens’ brands and more than 9,000 buyers participating each year. It is held quarterly.

The lucky designers are Gang Dong-jun, Sheen Je-hee and Choi Bum-suk for mens’ wear Kim Jae-hyun, Song Ja-in, Lee Suk-tae, Lee Seung-hee, Ju Hyo-sun, Choi Ji-hyung and Hong Hye-jin for womens’ wear.

They were selected during the Seoul Fashion Week which was held in March. Among 150 participants of SFW, 47 designers registered for the project. The candidates were narrowed down to 32 by seven Korean juries then to 10 by nine foreign juries. Both the jury panels were composed of press, buyers and professors. The key criteria included creativity, global competence, the brands’ business situation and production line in and out of Korea.

“They were selected; they meet the standards,” Michael Hadida, Tranoi's director, told The Korea Herald about the 10 designers.

“I’ve been looking closely at the designers at Seoul Fashion Week during the last two or three years and became confident about their potential and possibility to succeed in Paris. And I finalized the decision to participate in this project seeing Seoul city’s determination and passion.”

In Tranoi, the designers will not be given showrooms clustered together in a “Korean pavilion” but will each be designated a spot in one of the four venues -- Parc Royal, Carrousel du Louvre, Palais de la bourse, Montaigne -- based on the character of each brand.

“Tranoi is a fair that all designers dream of participating in. I thought of the fair ever since I debuted, but it was hard to participate as an individual artist due to financial problems and strict screening process. I was happy to know that Seoul city is supporting designers to participate in Tranoi,” said Choi Ji-hyung who runs her brand Johnny Hates Jazz.

Other than participating in Tranoi mens’ collection in June and womens’ collection in October, the designers will also showcase their works at “Seoul’s 10 Soul Collection” which will take place in Paris in October as well, just in time for the Paris Collection.

By the end of the year, one finalist among the 10 will be chosen and be provided full support for one full year in 2011, including a large-size showroom, promotion by Totem, Paris’ largest fashion brand PR company, and the opportunity to participate in 2011 Paris Collection.

This project, which Seoul city poured in 1 billion won ($9,750) this year, will be expanded every year, according to Seoul government.

“This year we only selected 10 for Paris, but will include another 10 for London next year, another 10 for New York the year after that and will continue sending about 30 designers to the three cities until 2020,” said Choi Hang-do, director of the global economic headquarters at the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

Among the 270 to 300 designers who will get to showcase their collections in the three big fashion cities, half will win the chance to get support for one full year and about three among them will become a global big brand like Chanel or Louis Vuitton by 2020, Choi explained.

Designers are hopeful about the project.

“It would be hard to turn a brand into something like Louis Vuitton or Chanel right away, but I do hope my brand will become a big brand like that, which can be prosperous for hundreds of years,” said Kim Jae-hyun director of her brand “Jardin de Chouette.”

“There are no buyers at Seoul Collection. So Korean designers focus on reporters and know pretty well what they want but don’t have the chance to meet buyers or know what they want. This is an opportunity to get close to the buyers,” said Choi Bum-suk, creative director of the brand “General Idea.”

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

홍라희 리움으로 복귀 초읽기?

Hong to return with Kim Hong-do show?

 

Leeum Samsung Museum of Art in Hannam-dong, central Seoul opened an exhibition of works by Joseon-period painter Kim Hong-do on March 30.

This permanent exhibition -- not a special exhibition for which Leeum was once known -- is drawing much attention, however the museum is abuzz for other reasons as well.

“Taoist Immortals” by Kim Hong-do (Leeum Samsung Museum of Art)

Leeum has kept quiet and not held any special exhibitions since former director Hong Ra-hee resigned in the aftermath of the Samsung scandal in April, 2008. It has been making unusual moves lately, feeding rumors that Hong may be getting ready to return to power.

The Samsung probe resulted in a three-year suspended jail term for Hong’s husband, Lee Kun-hee, who was charged with tax evasion. He stepped down from the chairmanship of Samsung Group in April 2008 as the prosecutor’s investigation was underway.

The Leeum revealed its new media art collection in October and handed out calendars featuring Kim Hong-do’s works early this year to VIPs (a project thought to have been directed by Hong), and is now holding an exhibition of Kim’s masterpieces.

Art insiders expect that Hong’s comeback could get Leeum back on its feet, as the former director maintained her standing as the most influential figure in the local art scene, even during her two-year absence. However, Leeum officials have repeatedly said that decisions have not been finalized.

Hong majored in applied art at Seoul National University and gained experience as a museum art director in 1995 at Ho-am Art Museum in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. The museum was established by Samsung founder Lee Byung-chul, Hong’s father-in-law, in 1878 and opened in 1982.

In 2004, Hong established Leeum. The museum, which reflects Hong’s contemporary taste in art, has one of the biggest collections of contemporary art in Korea. It is also a treasure trove of ancient Korean art, including several national treasures.

The newly added exhibition will showcase 18 works by the legendary Joseon painter, carefully selected from the museum’s vast collection.

Kim, known by his penname Danwon, is regarded as the most talented painter of the Joseon period.

Once a court painter for the Royal Painting Academy, Kim was known by all levels of society for his portrayals of Taoist and Buddhist figures, still-life, bird and animal paintings, and landscapes.

He is one of the rare artists who enjoyed tremendous popularity in his own time, as well as lauds today as a master in painting. Numerous high-profile figures of the time formed friendships with him or sponsored him, including King Jeongjo, the 22nd king of Joseon.

“It is a small but fruitful exhibition. The painting ‘Taoist Immortals’ is a must-see,” said Park Min-seon, the museum’s public relations officer.

“Taoist Immortals,” which Kim painted at age 37, features a long parade of hermits. The painting is designated as a national treasure.

Another painting on exhibition, “Tiger and Pine Tree,” was the cover for Leeum’s VIP calendar this year.

The show also includes works by Kim’s son, Kim Yang-ki, and his student Lee Myung-ki, revealing the influence of Kim’s work on the later generation of painters.

The exhibition runs through Oct. 10 at Leeum Samsung Museum of Art in Hannam-dong, central Seoul. Tickets are 10,000 won for adults and 6,000 won for students. For more information, call (02) 2014-6900 or visit www.leeum.org

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

 

Artist of the year creates an awkward place to rest

Visitors to the National Museum of Contemporary Art will notice the gigantic new piece of art in the museum’s main hall.

Park Ki-won, the National Museum of Contemporary Art’s artist of the year for 2010, covered the entire main hall with vinyl sheets colored in various shades of green oil paint.

The work, titled “Scenery,” is a part of the exhibition “Artist of the Year 2010 Kiwon Park: Who’s Afraid of Museums?”

“It is a small difference but could change the way people think. I intended to induce the situation between reality and unreality. Besides, green is one of my favorite colors,” Park said at a press meeting last week.

Born in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province in 1964, Park started his career as a Western-style painter. He became more acknowledged in the mid-1990s, however, when he switched to installation works that emphasized the exhibition space rather than the work itself.

The National Museum of Contemporary Art started the artist-of-the-year program in 1995. Selected artists so far include Jeon Su-cheon, No Sang-gyun, Jeong Yeon-doo and Suh Yong-sun.

Park’s exhibit, however, leaves something to be desired.
Because the main hall on the first floor is an atrium built through three floors, visitors in the hall can see how the walls on the upper two floors are left bare in a dull gray color. It limits the immersion into the unexpected greenery in the museum.

In the second exhibition room, Park built “Airwalls” with 250 air tubes and also created “Dim,” something like a miniature mountain range with heaps of thin steel wires.

Although wires are supposed to be rather cold and uncomfortable, they appear soft and comfy like hay when piled up under light.
“I think the best exhibition is where visitors can come and rest. That is why I moved this bush-like work indoors,” said Park.

Ironically, though, visitors are only allowed to touch some of the wire heaps.
The exhibition runs through May 30 at the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. Admission is 3,000 won. For more information, call (02) 2188-6000 or visit www.moca.go.kr

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

2010 봄 패션 트렌드!?

Lighten up for spring

 

Spring has finally elbowed its way through the unusually long and cold winter.

Fashion-savvy men and women, however, will not have much time to celebrate and show off their spring wardrobe because the spring season seems to be getting shorter and shorter every year.

“It’s too bad because spring clothes are usually the most stylish ones. Now that spring is so short, I’m going to need perfect clothes ready for just the right timing to fully enjoy the season,” said 24-year-old Jeon Hye-seong.

If you feel the same way, here are some key points for efficient shopping before hitting the major department stores for the annual spring sales that run through next weekend.

Look for soft colors … almost nude

Black and monotone colors managed to stay popular last spring, but they are not having such luck this time.

Fashion industry insiders expect that streets will be filled with pastel tone colors like Indian pink, azure, mint cream, extra light yellow and even neutral shades that appear almost nude.

Soft colors dominate most fashion houses’ spring collection, from top-notch brands like Bottega Veneta and Prada to fast fashion brands like Mango.

Bottega Veneta came up with light beige jackets that demonstrate elegant shoulder lines while Prada presented adorable pink beige flat shoes with tiny holes punched in as detail.

Calvin Klein also chose light beige color for its main mini dress line and added some wrinkles to it, giving it a whole new lovely look.

Featuring the theme “Pure Light,” Mango’s 2010 Spring Collection is based on colors that remind one of the Mediterranean sea such as white and blue and also neutral colors like light gray and beige.

Those who dare not take the risk of throwing off black -- the magic color that makes everyone look slimmer -- can try giving some spring-like touches with a soft colored scarf.

Ladies, get feminine

It is time to lose the power shoulder jackets and tough leather booties.

The trend this spring is garments adorned with ultra-feminine touches like laces, chiffon, ruffles or flower patterns.

Fashion brands like Chanel and Ralph Lauren included dresses and blouses overflowing with flower prints or laced flowers in their 2010 S/S collections. When wearing such outfits that remind of "Little House on the Prairie," sandals with wooden details are a perfect match.

More affordable brands for many, like Mango or Le Shop, also joined in on this romantic look trend by adding various laces, knots, ribbons to their shirts and dresses.

This trend is also evident in women’s accessories.

Chanel presented wooden sandals with big, vivid flowers on top and while Christian Dior decorated its mini-size shoulder bag with pink leather lace. Flower or feather detailed headbands are already commonly spotted in Seoul’s fashionable spots like Myeongdong or Apgujeong-dong.

A little tip to help you achieve the right balance: If you think you’ve overdone the feminine touch, tone it down a notch with a neutral tone biker jacket or a denim jacket.

Gentlemen, get slim

Classic look is out and urban casual is in.

“Classic suits were popular during the last two years but this spring, urban casual style in which suits and trendy casuals are mix and matched are expected be in fashion. Try wearing a navy blazer over striped shirts with chino pants. By adding brown toned loafers and maybe a bowtie, you can call yourself fashion-forward,” said Lim Seong-mi, menswear design director at Cambridge Kolon.

When choosing the jackets or pants to mix and match, go for slim. Jacket fits are slimmer, especially on the waist line. The emphasis on slim applies to pants as well.

“In the case of pants, one should keep the length a bit short and have it end a little bit above where the shoe starts,” advised Heo Hoe-cheol, a menswear MD at Lotte Department Store.

Check patterns will come in handy if one would like to add some accent to the style.

Trugen, a menswear brand, presents various check patterns in jackets, pants, suits and trench coats. The patterns are generally a bit lighter that those Trugen showed last autumn.

To give a chic finishing touch to your new spring look, consider carrying -- on your hand not on your back -- a matching big bag. Big bags are not just for women and definitely not a transient fashion fad but a keeper, even for men.

Ice-washed denim still hot

Denim is common, but also fashion-sensitive.

Fashion insiders say that ice wash denim is still in fashion, continuing its reign since the latter half of last year.

Zara, a Spanish fashion brand, for example, is promoting ice wash denim as one of its main lines this spring.

“The collection includes every garment possible in denim, starting from a pair of jeans, shorts, skirts, shirts, jackets and dresses,” said Seo Min-jeong, a Zara spokesperson.

Feel free to go a bit overboard with denim.

Wearing all pieces, like a pair of jeans or a jean skirt with a denim shirt, which was considered taboo in the last few decades, has made a fancy comeback. Several popular young singers are leading the trend, appearing on television in this retro fashion.

Of course, this does risk ending up a trend of only a minority of people, just like the high-rise jeans that came back on the map a few years ago but never successfully reached the broader public.

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

초미의 관심사

미술+패션+건축 담당으로 바뀐 요즘.

 

저의 초미의 관심사는_ 뜬금없지만_

 "각막염은 대체 언제 나을것인가"와 "라섹은 어디서 어떻게 하면 잘하는 것일까" 입니다.

 

잉잉 ㅠ-ㅠ  

 

기부르댕, 스티브 맥커리 사진전

패션 사진 거장 기부르댕

"아프간 소녀" 의 스티브 맥커리

Two photographers, different worlds

 

Some photographers find the tiniest beauty in harsh surroundings, even among starving people, while others create beauty anywhere from scratch.

Steve McCurry, who shot to international stardom in 1985 with the famed photo “Afghan Girl” on the cover of National Geographic Magazine, belongs to the first group.

The hollow, sad yet beautiful green eyes of the girl in the photo definitely touched the world. To satisfy the world’s curiosity, the National Geographic team went back to Afghanistan 17 years later and found the girl who had by then become a mother of three children.

“In her face, there is an ambiguity, mystery, beauty and also a haunted quality… a complex range of emotions,” said McCurry about the famous photo during a press conference in Seoul Tuesday.

The U.S. photographer is one of today’s most renowned documentary photographers who has won numerous awards, including the Robert Capa Gold Medal Award in 1980 and the Olivier Rebbot Memorial Award in 1985 and 1986.

Since 1986, McCurry has been a member of Magnum Photos, the photographic cooperative whose members have snapped some of the most iconic images of the last half of the 20th century.

Starting today, 100 of McCurry’s photos will be on display at the Sejong Museum of Art, in central Seoul, under the title “Unguarded Moment.”

The exhibits cover the photographer’s journeys to the world’s trouble spots such as Afghanistan, Pakistan and India -- a country which he has visited more than 90 times -- over the last 30 years. Every photo has a profound story behind it.

His secret of discovering beauty in situations where it is least expected and capturing them to become “images that you can’t get out of your mind and that inspires you” was rather simple.

“You can be anywhere at anytime to take the special moment. It is about trying to be observing and be present in the moment. Try to understand, make a comment and show your vision of the world,” he said.

“One of the most inspiring people I’ve ever met was an old gentleman who used to take tickets at a movie theater in New York. Though it was a simple job, he was an amazing human being. The beauty of life is being able to find wonderful things.”

Guy Bourdin, on the other hand, is a photographer who artificially created beauty.

For most of his career, the late French photographer took fashion photos for magazines like Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar.

“Bourdin’s works remain as provocative today as when they first appeared. He is still considered as one of the most daring and intriguing fashion photographers of the 20th century,” said Shelly Verthime, curator of Bourdin’s solo exhibition currently underway at 10 Corso Como Seoul in Cheongdam-dong, southern Seoul.

The exhibition shows 75 of Bourdin’s photos from the 1960s and 1980s and also several short films he took during his photo shoots.

Featuring his lead model Nicolle Meyer, Bourdin used various techniques that were unfamiliar back in his time. One of Bourdin’s most significant contributions is his novel way of storytelling. Connecting several images together dramatically -- by moving from a close up on a shoe to a long shot of a building then a fade out on the ocean or the zooming onto lips, for example -- Guy was able to weave a story for his ad shoots.

Steve McCurry’s exhibition runs through May 30 at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Jongno-gu, central Seoul. Tickets range from 2,000 won to 8,000 won. For more information, go to www.mccurrykorea.com

Guy Bourdin’s exhibition runs through May 2 at 10 Corso Como Seoul in Cheongdam-dong, southern Seoul. Admission is free. For more information, call (02) 3018-1010 or visit www.10corsocomo.co.kr





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

커버아트의 거장 로저딘 전시 리뷰

Eyes on Dean's fantasy world

 

"Morning Dragon" by Roger Dean in 1984 [Roger Dean]

Dragons fly and islands float in Roger Dean's paintings.

The British artist, one of the greatest in the music album cover art field, enjoys creating fantasy-like scenes with waterfalls that never go dry, comical devils swarming in hell or mystical woods and jungles.

If the recent mega-hit movie "Avatar" comes to your mind as you look at Dean's works - most of them were created about 30 years before the movie was made - you are sharing the same thoughts as hundreds of thousands of others.

Even before the movie was released, people joined an online forum, raising questions about whether the movie plagiarized Dean's work. The figure grew enormously soon after the movie came out.

Many American lawyers called Dean to offer to take the case. Now rumors are spreading that Dean is preparing a lawsuit.

The 65-year-old artist, however, was careful with his words.

"At this time, I cannot talk about 'Avatar.' I'll just say that I was extremely grateful that there were so many people that recognized the similarity. I didn't know so many would remember and recognize my works," said Dean at a press conference last Wednesday.

Those in Seoul are in luck, because the original paintings of the controversial works are on display at the exhibition "Dragon's Dream" currently running at the Daelim Contemporary Art Museum in Tongui-dong, central Seoul.

This is Dean's first show in Korea and the largest ever displaying about 150 works, including those that have never been exhibited before.

"To my embarrassment, he (exhibition curator Seong Si-wan) even managed to find things I thought were long hidden," Dean said.

Dean moved house a lot in his youth, following his father who was an engineer for the British army. He had many colorful experiences, especially in Hong Kong, and cultivated a fascinating sense of imagination.

The first job he got in 1968 after finishing his design studies at Canterbury School of Art and later at the Royal College of Art was not related to cover art. He was to renovate the interior of a burnt-down jazz club. But this, unexpectedly, led to his first album cover job.

"The interior job had to be done within three weeks because there was a BBC broadcast scheduled there and there would be a huge penalty if it wasn't done. So I did it based on a design I already had in my sketchbook. They were really pleased with the result and asked me if they could have it as an album cover. It was Gun's," said Dean.

This "intriguing" job led to another and before he realized it, Dean had become a famous album cover artist who would work with many rock bands of the 1970s such as Yes, Uriah Heep and Asia.

Dean's surrealistic illustrations were a great fit for the supernatural image the progressive bands had at the time. The illustrations were usually created after long hours of discussion with band members.

"I talk with the band about what idea they want to be using. I'm not reinterpreting the music. I listen to what they say and I value what they say," said Dean.

He confessed, however, that he rarely listened to all the music on the album he worked on.

"Once, I spent a week with a band in Vancouver and they played their song for me over and over again. But l still don't even remember which song it was," he said, chuckling.

Dean's original works are now a popular collection for museums and a bestseller at art auctions. The work "Relayer," for example, goes for over $2.5 million (3 billion won) in the U.S. art market.

"Basically, I only paint three to five paintings a year. So when I sell them it's a great honor. But I definitely feel happier when millions of people can actually see and buy my albums, books and posters," he said.

Other than album covers, visitors can also find various logos and labels by Dean, such as the one he created for the familiar game Tetris, at the exhibition.

The exhibition runs through June 6 at Daelim Contemporary Art Museum in Tongui-dong, central Seoul. Tickets range from 1,000 won to 5,000 won. For more information, call (02) 720-0667 or visit www.daelimmuseum.org

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young