Cultural Heritage Administration Publishes Catalog of Works by Five Traditional Technique Masters

Selected 5 Participants Through ‘Changui Gongbang’ Program
Created 13 Works Over 7 Months

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] The Cultural Heritage Administration’s National Intangible Heritage Center is publishing a catalog showcasing the results of the 2022 ‘Intangible Heritage Creative Workshop Residency’ project.

The ‘Creative Workshop’ is a residency program operated since 2014 to promote the value of traditional techniques and strengthen the creative capabilities of masters. Each year, selected masters stay at the National Intangible Heritage Center for a set period, receiving education, consultation, and material support to complete individual and collaborative creative works.

This year, under the theme ‘PRO-POSE (Proposal by Experts),’ five masters were selected: quilting masters ‘Lee Sunhyeop’ and ‘Choi Mijeong,’ knotting master ‘Heo Heejin,’ pottery master ‘Lee Solchan,’ and dyeing master ‘Jung Chanhee.’ From March to September, over approximately seven months, they exchanged ideas at the National Intangible Heritage Center and completed a total of 13 creative works, including individual pieces titled Yeoljong and three collaborative works.

Quilting master Lee Sunhyeop planned works that expand the traditional use of clothing to decorate spaces, while quilting master Choi Mijeong expressed the value of quilting diversely by incorporating the scenery of Jeonju Hanok Village into a traditional craft item, the bangjang (房帳, a curtain hung inside a room), to reduce the gap between tradition and modernity.

Knotting master Heo Heejin created objects to allow highly decorative knots to be recognized as independent works. Pottery master Lee Solchan and dyeing master Jung Chanhee, as young masters, presented works reflecting on how to interpret and apply tradition in the contemporary era.

The National Intangible Heritage Center stated, “We will continue educational projects for masters in traditional techniques to secure the potential for the development of traditional crafts.”