Jungsutap Reborn as an Art Piece by a World-Renowned Artist After 38 Years with Garak Market

Installation of 'Rain Veil' by American installation artist Ned Kahn
Seoul Agro-Fisheries & Food Corporation returns soccer field-sized site to citizens for Jeongsu Tower artwork

The Seoul Agro-Fisheries & Food Corporation (President Moon Young-pyo) plans to unveil a joint project by Seoul City Hall and Songpa District Office in June, transforming the 'Garak Market Water Tower,' which has been part of Garak Market for 38 years, into an art installation by the world-renowned installation artist Ned Kahn.

The Garak Market Water Tower was constructed in 1986. It is a large funnel-shaped structure, 32 meters tall, with a top diameter of 20 meters and a storage capacity of 600 tons, and is currently the only remaining water tower in Seoul.

It was used at the opening of Garak Market to maintain a certain pressure in the metropolitan water supply system but was decommissioned in 2004 following the introduction of a pressurized pump system.

As part of the "Design Seoul 2.0 - Public Art by Region" project, which aims to revitalize neglected urban resources into cultural spaces for citizens, the water tower, unused for 20 years, will be transformed into an artwork, becoming the first public art piece in the southeastern area.

Accordingly, the corporation has decided to return the 7,215㎡ site around the water tower?equivalent to the size of a soccer field?to the citizens, symbolizing coexistence between Garak Market and local residents.

Additionally, the corporation completed safety reinforcement work, including a detailed safety inspection, restoration of deteriorated concrete, waterproofing, and exterior painting, to ensure citizens can safely visit the water tower.

Through an international competition for the Garak Market Water Tower art project led by Seoul City, Ned Kahn, the artist behind the iconic Rain Oculus at Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands, was selected. His installation, "Rain Veil," will depict the texture of rain created by the cycle of climate, creating a surface that appears to flow with water.

Inside the water tower, a large collaborative artwork titled "Pieces of the Sea," composed of resin art blocks made by 100 citizens, will be installed, offering visitors an additional attraction.

At the opening ceremony in June 2024, the "Garak Art Market," a collaboration between Garak Market distributors and young artists, will take place. The "Garak Art Market" features joint booths operated by distributors and young artists focusing on agricultural and marine products, selling these products at reasonable prices.

Furthermore, as part of the Songpa-daero Luxury Street Development Project, Songpa District Office will create an art park in the green area around the water tower, attracting Seoul citizens and distributors.

President Moon Young-pyo stated, "The Garak Market Water Tower public art project holds great significance as the first artwork in the cultural desert of Garak Market. We hope it will serve as an opportunity for Garak Market to coexist with local residents, distributors, and producers, in connection with the Garak Mall Sky Park renewal project."