Colour, light and sound transform the Victorian railway arches of Southwark into a corner of Seoul at Delight – an immersive multimedia art show that vividly conjures the sights and sounds of the Korean capital.
The multimedia exhibition opened on 13 October and features 12 zones of digital artworks by Korean artist Gyoungtae Hong, whose practice interweaves myths, symbols, architecture and technology to create new perspectives. Created in collaboration with director Younsook Im, the spans historical and cultural influences from 1,000 years of the city’s history, offering a taste of Seoul, old and new.
Visitors can wander between the large works, which make full use of the brick vaulted ceilings of old railway arches. Rather than simply being digital projections, however, the artworks are interactive and make use of augmented and virtual reality, projection mapping, and the Metaverse, with works built from over 8,000 images.
Visitors become shadowy silhouettes in the rain; or bathe in moonlight as data is integrated in real-time into the works, adapting and transforming around the user to create a unique and ephemeral experience.
Curator Daehyung Lee (who previously curated the Korean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale) describes the experience as ‘a dance between reality and illusion, where symbols shift in meaning, hoping to spark differing reactions in viewers’.
As well as a literal representation of the capital, through lights and music depicting the Seoul streetscape, the show offers a more symbolic interpretation, with one room filled with 631 colour-changing lights to express the same number of years from the Joseon Dynasty to the present day.
Tickets for ‘Delight’ are on sale now. The show runs from 13 October at Borough Yards 219-221, Clink St, London, SE1 9DG
