지하철도의 밤 (윤필)

<응답하라 1988>

Posted today in 한겨레 신문: <응답하라 1988> 시청률 12.2%...1994 넘었다.  Of course, this means that we're taking 골목 nostalgia to a whole new level!

Baltimore 살풀이춤

Busan posts

We're in Busan--and I'm dragging the kids around.  One trip was to the "bookstore alley" just outside of Busan's 국제 시장.  For all the books they have--and they are literally crammed with books--they never seem to have the book I want!

At some point, though, we are definitely going to 감천문화마을--the Machu Picchu of Korea.

Research talk tomorrow!

Research in the Time of MERS

My research is almost finished here, but this is still a noteworthy development.  And scary!

도시 영화제

My plan is to see "My Father's House":

But "The Saving of Goliath" (or the Structure of Goliath?) also looks interesting.

Branding Seoul, Part 2

From the subway wall at 광화문역.

Yes, a major branding effort on the part of City Hall to escape the mediocrity of "Hi, Seoul."  But the way they're going about this is a little confusing.  How will pasting up our ideas on a wall help the city generate a 2-3 word "motto" for Seoul?  Still, the wall itself is interesting.  My favorite is someone who drew "hell train" for the city motto.

And there was stuff for the kids!

이화동박물관

Finally, the museum is open again (until June).  This, along with a number of other small galleries and stores on the 낙산 공원 side of 이화동.  What was there?  Well, the museum bills itself as belonging "to its residents by holding exhibitions in museum, galleries, and ateliers that are located within the village and through participation of artists and professionals in the field of culture and art."  So--the displays in the museum are donated, and reflect pretty much what the residents wanted to show.  For example, there are some antiques, especially antiques that speak to the humble origins of the neighborhood--e.g., a 붕어빵 maker with holes at the bottom for 연탄, or 도자기 that have been repaired several times.  But there are also tvs, jam boxes, telephones, and even a flat-screened tv . . .There are also collections of "artistic" photos of the neighborhood, family photos, and what are pretty much cognitive maps of the neighborhood drawn by elementary school students.  The other galleries show other antiques along with contemporary pieces of art.  I was fortunate enough to have a guid who showed me the main museum and the blacksmith's shop

고가에서 봄

In the continued efforts of different groups (including the Mayor's office) to turn the Seoul Station Overpass (서울역 고가) into a park, today was another "open house" event, with all of us parading up and down the highway.  And yet, there are other groups who have not embraced the idea--the merchants around the overpass are opposed, and suggest that the park will destroy their businesses.  My favorite shot is of my kids chalking the street in front of a phalanx of police . . .

우리의 서울이야기--마지작 강의

This was the 10th of the series--and ending with the question of tourism and branding.  An interesting, if somewhat anticlimatic, ending.  After all, the series of really less about branding than eliciting the kind of city Seoul-ites want to inhabit.  Ending with the question of "brand" takes it back to the dismal science, as if any discussion was really about the economic bottom line.

서촌라이프--A few pictures from their Facebook site

A Tale of Two Advertisements

With regards to housing, longing, capitalism and desire.  The first one, an advertisement for "Memories in Seoul," an oral history project focusing on the everyday life histories of Seoul-ites.

And the second, an advertisement for a new large-scale development in the 아현 area.  The copy points out how close the development is to the subway, to department stories, and to downtown.

우리의 서울이야기--9번째

Well, I missed this one . . .unfortunate, since the topic was "서울 속의 세계를 이야기하다".  Still, lots of highlights in the Youtube streaming video for the event.  Among them: a list of Korean films with a strong multicultural content:

"처음 만난 사람"
"로니를 찾아서"
"반두기"
"완득이"
"방가?  방가!"
"마이리들 치료"
"황금신부" (drama)

Also: a ist of expected answers in answer to this week's question, "서울이 다문화 도시라는 걸 느낀 순간 (기억)은 (          ) 이다."

(답): 명동거리, 이태원, '우리 동네 어린이집', 성북동 (대사관), 동대문, 다문화 축제, 성북동 Christmas market.

북정마을--part 2

And I'm also interested in this project . . .Asset mapping?