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Category Archives: Chuseok 2007

Shades of Shamanism

14-Oct-07
Peter Corbishley's sketch of the BM's Chuseok festivities Times change. The small but significant Korean Collection at the British Museum includes a Moon Jar which so inspired the English potter Bernard Leech. But the drum beat of Shamanistic trance was not perhaps what Dr Sloane or the Smirke family had in mind for the front lawns in the shadow of the sedate and august portals of the British Museum. Yet this year's Chuseok 'harvest' festival took place against, and indeed surpassed the Chinese terracotta army and the current Japanese offering at the Museum. The festival was not clockwork or regimented but more like an affair between building and culture that moved into and out of the building climaxing in the sunshine outside. ...
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Dramatic pictures of Chuseok at the BM

12-Oct-07
Samuel Cho has a great collection of photos from the Chuseok celebrations at the British Museum last month, really capturing the energy of some of the performances. Here's a sample: Links: See the remainder of his album at www.samuelcho.com Related posts:Chuseok at the BM — part sprint, part marathon It is a commonplace observation that Korea is caught...Shades of Shamanism Peter Corbishley’s sketch of the BM’s Chuseok festivities Times change....The top 30 LKL pictures of 2007 Part 1: #21-30 Inspired by the cheap TV programmes which... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
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Chuseok at the BM — part sprint, part marathon

26-Sep-07
It is a commonplace observation that Korea is caught between two larger neighbours. Similarly, in marketing terms, the Korean events at the British Museum last Saturday were dwarfed by the blitzkrieg advertising for the Chinese "First Emperor" and the Japanese modern design exhibitions, both also at the British Museum at the same time. But although the façade of the museum was plastered with giant posters of terracotta warriors, all eyes were on the Korean festivities in the museum forecourt. Most people could tell that all the jollifications were Korean. "Korean Harvest Festival" was hastily written in front of the changseung (totem poles) which formed the centrepiece of the first performance in the forecourt. And more importantly, the large group of helpers ...
Also filed in British Museum, Dae Jang Geum, Dulsori, Im Kwon-taek, Lee Young-ae, Pictures, Shin Mee-kyung | | Comments (0) »

Moon jars old and new

25-Sep-07
There were moon jars a-plenty at the British Museum on Saturday: old and new, whole and smashed, real and fake and, as is the nature of these objects, none of them perfectly spherical. In pride of place in Room 3, just as you enter the museum, is one of the prized items in the British Museum's Korean collection, the Chosun dynasty vase - around 300 years old - picked up by Bernard Leach in Seoul in the 1930s. Surrounding the vase are other objects and displays to give it context: a reproduction of Lord Snowdon's photograph of the moon vase with Lucie Rie, taken in her studio. images of many of the surviving moon jars from the Chosun dynasty - photographed by ...
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Chuseok at the British Museum

23-Sep-07
I haven't had a chance to write anything yet - that will come in the next couple of days - but in the meanwhile I've uploaded my snaps onto my flickr page. Let me know of any other photos you wish to share. Related posts:Flickr photos - normal service will be resumed as soon as possible I don’t know what’s going on with my Flickr page....Photos from Dulsori evening at SOAS I’ve just uploaded to Flickr some snaps from last Friday’s...Chuseok celebrations at Asia House The Chuseok celebrations at Asia House on 12 October, though... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
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Focus on a piece of happiness

12-Sep-07

Focus on a piece of happiness

The story goes that Bernard Leach, browsing in a Seoul antiques store in the mid 1930s, came across a Choson dynasty Moon Jar and held his head in disbelief at its beauty. And, after one of the more inspired impulse buys in recent art history, he walked out of the shop "carrying a piece of happiness" ((Source: Gina Ha-Gorlin in the British Musuem's Autumn 2007 magazine)). That Jar now resides in the British Museum as one of the highlights of its Korean collection. From 20 September for six weeks, that piece of happiness will be the British Museum's "Object in Focus". Gina Ha-Gorlin, Arts Council Fellow at the museum, has planned an exhibition in room 3 (at the entrance to the ...
Also filed in British Museum, Ceramics, Events news, Kim Whanki, Nam June Paik, Park Young-sook, Permanent displays | | Comments (0) »

Bang goes Chuseok

05-Sep-07
Two events to celebrate Chuseok, Korea's harvest festival. Firstly, the Anglo-Korean Society will be having a buffet dinner at Young Bean Kwan on the Barbican highwalks in the City on 20 September. Guest of honour will be Ambassador Cho. There will be a short pre-dinner talk on Korean customs and food, and guests will be entertained by young Korean musicians on traditional instruments. Pre-booking required with the AKS. Download a flier for the Chuseok dinner here. AKS membership enquiries to Sylvia Park (sylviaparkairtravel at hotmail dot co dot uk) Second, the British Museum will be celebrating Chuseok on 22 September. Many of the entertainments from the Thames Festival the previous weekend will be appearing in the forecourt of the BM, and also in some ...
Also filed in Anglo-Korean Society, British Museum, Dae Jang Geum, Dulsori, Events news, Korean traditional music, Permanent displays, Shin Mee-kyung | | Comments (0) »