Kookmin University to Host 'Blue Hour: Yeomcheon-gyo Handmade Shoe Street Soundscape Exhibition'

[Blue Hour Exhibition Poster]

Kookmin University (President Lim Hong-jae) LINC+ Project Group announced that from the 21st to the 26th, it will hold a planned exhibition titled "Blue Hour: Yeomcheon-gyo Handmade Shoes Street Soundscape Exhibition" (hereinafter Blue Hour) at the Jungnim Warehouse Community Hall on Seosomun-ro, in collaboration with the Cultural Design Lab of Kookmin University Graduate School of Techno Design.

This exhibition "Blue Hour" is a soundscape exhibition that allows visitors to remember the scenery and daily lives of people at Yeomcheon-gyo Handmade Shoes Street (hereinafter Yeomcheon-gyo), which is caught between demolition and redevelopment. The exhibition is prepared to meet the audience through the cooperation of Kookmin University LINC+ Project Group, Kookmin University Graduate School of Techno Design, Historium, Seoul Station Handmade Shoes Social Cooperative, The Zone Dance Shoes, Sevenwell, and Italian Shoemakers.

Yeomcheon-gyo, the main subject of the exhibition, led the modern shoemaking industry from the Japanese colonial period through the Korean War, but due to redevelopment projects around Seoul Station starting in 2008, it is currently a space caught between demolition and development. The exhibition was born from the perspective of students from Kookmin University Cultural Design Lab who viewed the time of Yeomcheon-gyo and its merchants?who still open their shops without fail every morning, sweep the streets, and start their day making shoes?in the "Blue Hour" (the twilight state just before or after sunrise, when faint light remains, neither day nor night).

Through this exhibition, the soundscape of Yeomcheon-gyo, which is passing through the boundary time between the birth and extinction of life, will be presented with various perspectives and imaginations. The exhibition features diverse works expressing the history, scenery, and people of the Yeomcheon-gyo area?previously unfamiliar even by name?from the viewpoints of "sound walkers," "creators," "collectors," and "sound preservers." A docent program for in-depth appreciation and various events allowing audience participation will also be held.

Park Chan-ryang, Director of Kookmin University LINC+ Project Group (Vice President of Industry-Academia Research), said, "I hope this exhibition will revitalize the local economy around Yeomcheon-gyo and promote regional regeneration," adding, "We will further accelerate industry-academia cooperation for regional industrial development and cultural revival to expand our university's role."

More detailed information about the exhibition can be found on the website and Instagram of the Cultural Design Lab at Kookmin University Graduate School of Techno Design.