[Featured Book] Photographer Jeon Chang-yeol Publishes 'Our Land Stone Walls' Captured Through His Lens Over 16 Years

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Young-gyu] A photo essay book capturing the beauty of Korea's 'doldam' (stone walls) is being released.

Publishing company Dukyung will publish on the 6th the photo essay book "Uri Ttang Doldam" (Our Land Stone Walls) by photographer Jeon Chang-yeol (76), who spent the past 16 years traveling across the country capturing the spring, summer, autumn, and winter of stone walls through his lens.

Stone Wall in a Village, Gurye-gun, Jeollanam-do

The artist studied photography for 10 years at Sangmyung University Photo Academy. Since then, he has an impressive record of awards including one gold prize and 18 honorable mentions in photo contests, as well as recognition in the Korea Meteorological Administration's contest.

This photo essay book introduces various stone walls from eight provinces nationwide along with brief regional descriptions.

The artist's connection with stone walls began after his retirement when he started preparing for a second career by studying photography at Sangmyung University Photo Academy. Since then, he has sought out every stone wall across the country. The number of shutter clicks aimed at stone walls is countless.

Village stone wall in Gwangyang-si, Jeollanam-do

"Stone walls hold the scars of time's hardships. They have witnessed the rise and fall of villages. In many ways, they resemble our own lives. Therefore, stone walls are precious traditional assets that we must preserve more than anything else."

As the artist said, stone walls have traditionally served as essential windbreaks in Korea's agrarian society, acting as fences for farmers and boundary markers for villages. Built by villagers, these stone walls are formed by small stones coming together into large structures, and over long years, they sometimes appear like magnificent sculptures by a master or transform into works of art harmonized with nature.

The artist also experienced numerous trials and errors before publishing the photo essay book.

Stone Wall in Jeongeup-si, Jeonbuk

"The first few years were full of mistakes while photographing stone walls. But as the years passed, I tried to capture the charm of stone walls purely through understanding their shooting points, seasonal and time-based changes, regional characteristics, and communication with local residents."

The artist also conveyed the happiness that stone walls bring.

"Walking along rural stone wall paths, I feel a warmth like a mother's embrace. When I hold my camera alone and capture the quiet rural stone wall scenery, I am immersed in an overwhelming happiness. I think this is why I have wandered stone wall paths for 16 years."

Snow-covered Jeju Island stone wall

He says that even now, whenever the seasons change, he loses sleep thinking about "what form the stone walls might be taking." The moment he presses the shutter to capture a photo at a stone wall he has eagerly rushed to, he feels there is nothing in the world to envy.

Documentary photographer Ahn Ok-cheol commented, "This photo essay book is meaningful because the artist has spent over a decade traveling nationwide, tracing the historical backgrounds of stone walls and the lives of people, recording them faithfully with his camera. By visiting the same locations multiple times and observing the passage of time throughout the day, he explored images and densely embroidered the screen with the stone walls as the center along with the surrounding environment and images."