From the category archives:

Chuseok 2007

Shades of Shamanism

by Peter Corbishley on 14 October, 2007

in Chuseok 2007

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 [...]

Tagged as: Moon jar

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Dramatic pictures of Chuseok at the BM

12 October 2007 Chuseok 2007

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

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Chuseok at the BM — part sprint, part marathon

26 September 2007 British Museum
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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 [...]

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Moon jars old and new

25 September 2007 British Museum
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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 [...]

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Chuseok at the British Museum

23 September 2007 Chuseok 2007

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.

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Focus on a piece of happiness

12 September 2007 British Museum
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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 [...]

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Bang goes Chuseok

5 September 2007 Anglo-Korean Society

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 [...]

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