1km Section from Magok Station to Balsan Station
Sculptures, Media Art Videos, Busking Performances, and More
Magok Culture Street in Gangseo-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Jin Gyo-hoon) is emerging as a cultural hotspot following the completion of the Balsan Station Zone development project.
Magok Culture Street is a connected green space section of about 1 km from Balsan Station to Magok Station on Line 5. Since 2020, the district has been developing this area into a cultural space where visitors can feel and enjoy cultural sensibilities.
The street is divided into three sections: Magok Station Zone, Culture & Arts Zone, and Balsan Station Zone, featuring various sculptures and cultural facilities that attract attention. Starting in 2020 with large signboards, photo zones, and busking stages, in 2021, high-quality public art projects such as ‘Cloud Emblem’ and ‘Scenery: Waves of Light’ were installed.
In 2022, a media facade showcasing media art was created on the wall of Space K Seoul Museum and the surrounding pavement blocks. In 2023, dandelion stake landscape lighting and a vertical garden artwork by artist Kim Byung-ho were installed, enriching the nightscape of Magok Culture Street.
This Magok Culture Street Balsan Station Zone development project included the creation of an original Brand Identity (BI) to enhance the street’s identity and recognition, installation of three-dimensional sculptures harmonizing with the surrounding landscape, and production of media art broadcast videos. Additionally, subtle lighting was applied to each sculpture, adding light to the dimly lit street to create a safe and beautiful cultural street.
At the starting and ending points of Magok Culture Street, recognition signages using the original Magok Culture Street BI were installed. The art benches found throughout the street also apply the BI, adding Magok’s image to a comfortable space. The art map indicates the locations of sculptures along Magok Culture Street, making it easy to appreciate the artworks, and the calligraphy-style ‘MAGOK’ letter sculpture serves as a large landmark and photo zone.
Entering Magok Culture Street from Exit 1 of Balsan Station, visitors encounter the Light Gate. This gate-shaped sculpture using the Magok logo softly illuminates at night, and various patterns of gobo lighting change moment by moment, shining on the ground. The Light Gate is planned to light the street from sunset until midnight.
The Wave of Magok is a sculpture symbolizing Magok’s past. It is a pavilion-type sculpture inspired by the waterway that flowed from Magok to the Han River, offering a unique experience while walking through its reflective effect, similar to the gentle glimmer of sunlight on water.
Music Flowing in Magok is a sculpture representing the current Magok Culture Street. It visually expresses the identity of Magok Culture Street, where music events such as busking take place, and is an interactive sculpture that visitors can sit on, lean against, and take photos with, rather than just observe.
The media art videos using the wall of Space K Seoul Museum and surrounding pavement blocks will also change. Through exhibition agreements with world-renowned media artists OSGEMEOS and Robin Rhode, visitors can experience their representative works, as well as experimental works by the SJB Project and artist Choi Kwang-rok, who have consistently presented media art in Korea. The works of OSGEMEOS and Robin Rhode will be on display until the end of February next year.
Along with high-quality sculptures, diverse street arts can also be enjoyed at Magok Culture Street. The ‘Try Everything! 2024 Magok Culture Street Busking,’ held every Friday and Saturday from the 20th to November 2nd, will support the challenges and talents of local street artists who have relatively fewer performance opportunities, while providing cultural enjoyment to residents visiting the street.
District Mayor Jin Gyo-hoon stated, “The Magok Culture Street development project aims to create a distinctive street that people want to revisit by providing sculptures and media content that breathe cultural sensibility into Magok.” He added, “It will continue to develop into a representative cultural attraction that can be visited not only by local residents but also by people from various places.” Meanwhile, the completion ceremony for Magok Culture Street is scheduled to be held at 5 p.m. on the 21st in front of the Light Gate on Magok Culture Street.
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