Friday Late at the V+A: Making Waves

This special Friday Late, Making Waves, spotlights the explosive creative energy of contemporary Korean culture, held in conjunction with our current exhibition Hallyu! The Korean Wave. Hallyu refers to the rapid rise of pop culture from South Korea, led by K-drama and cinema, K-pop, and K-beauty and fashion, which has inspired a global following.

For this Late, hangeul calligraphy, tea tasting workshops, a make-up demonstration, modern hanbok try-ons and much more will be complemented by a variety of music, audio-visual and dance experiences; including an exciting K-pop dance performance.

Supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism Republic of Korea.

Celebrate the phenomenal global impact of the Korean Wave in our after-hours November Friday Late.

Individual events

Pre-K-Pop from the 1970-80s: DJ Set by Sunggun Jang

Grand Entrance, Cromwell Road [A]
Western music in South Korea was oppressed during the period of military dictatorship. Deemed rebellious and luxurious, it was nevertheless much loved by the general populace. Composer and sound designer Sunggun Jang takes you on a journey, exploring how western music was  interpreted by Koreans in the 70s and 80s.
@satanikmetal666

Seoul Rhythms Summer (2022): Sound Installation

Europe 1600–1815 Galleries, Room 4 [B]
Drop-in

Times and tempos within cityscapes coexist. These conversations – between humans, creatures and natural processes – are in constant dynamic variation. The 2-channel sound installation Seoul Rhythms | Summer (2022) by Kat Austen brings together tempos of the capital city at the height of summer, interweaving sounds of cicadas, mopeds, birds and busses in a rhythmic exploration of the metropolis’s character. Summer (2022) is the first movement from the ongoing Seoul Rhythms project.
@katausten

Dive into K-pop with AZULE

The Raphael Cartoons, Room 48a [C]

18.30 Random Play Dance
19.15 Dance Workshop
20.15 AZULE Performance
20.40 Random Play Dance

Experience an exuberant display of K-pop dance ranging from a compelling montage of powerful choreographies performed by AZULE, a Random Play Dance where you get the opportunity to dance to your favourite songs, and a dance workshop where you can learn a trendy K-pop choreography. We welcome people of all ages and backgrounds to share their love and expression for K-pop dance. Let’s dive into K-pop with AZULE!
@azule_official

Gisaeng Goes to Studio 54

Fashion, Room 40 [D]
Installation

Faithful to his Korean heritage, fashion designer Eudon Choi’s Royal College of Art Graduation Collection was based on an imaginary story of gisaeng women going to Studio 54 in 1970s New York. Originally, gisaeng were highly-trained women artists in ancient Korea, who entertained the upperclass elite with music, dance, conversation, and poetry. The outcome: a mixture of gisaeng’s opulent attire, the hanbok, with New York’s hedonistic party scene in the 1970s.
@eudonchoi

Contemporary Hanbok Try-On

Fashion, Room 40 [E]
Sign up from 18.30 in Fashion, Room 40

With the rise of K-pop and K-drama, hanbok (Korean costume) has enjoyed a growing international profile whilst being reimagined into a young, fun and versatile garment by contemporary hanbok designers. The Korea Craft & Design Foundation (KCDF), established to promote Korean craft, design and traditional living culture, invites you to don a colourful selection of these to experience their beauty and creativity firsthand.

With the support of Korea Craft & Design Foundation (KCDF)
@kcdf_insta | kcdf.or.kr

Create Your Own Hangeul Calligraphy Artwork

Art Studio, Learning Centre [F]
19.00 and 20.00

Duration: 45 mins
Please note these sessions have a limited capacity. Sign up from 18.30 in the Learning Centre

Hangeul means ‘Korean alphabet’, created by King Sejong the Great in 1443. In this workshop you will explore an essential calligraphy technique related to the art of writing hangeul. You will be shown how to correctly hold a brush to write Korean characters and will be given the chance to learn the fundamental brushstrokes used in Korean calligraphy.
@hangul_calligraphy_london

Introspection through Film: Emerging Korean Directors

Hochhauser Auditorium, Learning Centre [G]
19.15, 20.15 My Eggs directed by Soy Kim (27 mins)
19.45, 20.45 I Bought a Time Machine directed by Yeon Park (14 mins)

See films by emerging Korean directors Soy Kim and Yeon Park that delve into their personal histories and explore family relationships. Both short films star their directors, who place themselves within the context of Korean society and history, reflecting the demands and influences of social roles placed upon young people of Korea’s past and present.
@soy_weird | @yeonpark__

Liquid Purgatory

National Art Library Landing, Room 85 [H]

Step free access to this installation is via Gallery 76.

Facing what has been in need and now discarded, the artist Joonhong Min unfolds his impression of the city using collage and drawing with found objects and images in London. Simultaneously, he is interested in ‘memories’ from urban life and the construction of narrative. The narration is enacted through moving images and delivered to audiences as installations which are his personal ‘reassurance’ to what has been left out in today’s urbanized society.
@joonhongmin.artist

Korean Tea Cocktail Tasting

Main Café, Poynter Room [I]
19.00 and 20.00

Please note these workshops have a limited capacity. Sign up from 18.30 at entrance of the Poynter Room. Proof of age may be required.

Come enjoy the unique aromatic flavours of Korean teas that lend the perfect accent to refreshing cocktails. All the while you are sipping on the tea-infused cocktails, you can learn about the history and background of Korean tea, presented by be-oom, the first Korean tea specialist in the UK. All be-oom teas come from farms in Hadong and Boseong regions of Korea, the oldest and largest tea growing counties of Korea.
@be_oom_

One Point K-pop Makeup Tutorial

Medieval & Renaissance, Room 64b, The Simon Sainsbury Gallery [J]
19.30 and 20.30
Duration 35 mins

This makeup demonstration presents a look inspired by the current K-pop makeup trends, gaining popularity worldwide. London-based makeup artist Min Kim will present a simple one-point lesson to help diverse audiences easily recreate the latest K-pop look with various colours and appliqué, under the theme of gender inclusivity.
@miin_hmua

Translating the Korean Gothic

National Art Library [K]
19.30

Please note, coats and bags are not permitted in the Library, please leave these items in the cloakroom. Access to this talk is via Gallery 76.

Join Clare Richards as she discusses becoming a literary translator, bringing South Korean feminist and gothic novelist Kang Hwagil’s work into English. Richards reveals what drew her to Kang’s work, and Kang’s influences from English women writers such as Mary Shelley and the Brontë sisters. Clare will shed light on her translation process, focusing on Kang’s debut novel, Another Person, to be published in the UK next year by Pushkin Press.
@clarehannahmary

‘The Gleam’, a Performance by Park Jiha

The Lydia and Manfred Gorvy Lecture Theatre, Level 3 [L]
20.00

Delve into a soundscape built by Park Jiha with an array of traditional Korean instruments such as the saenghwang (mouth organ of 17 bamboo sticks) and the yanggeum (metalstring zither). Park takes a minimalistic approach that expands the possibilities of folk instruments. For ‘The Gleam’, she will guide the audience through the movements and shifts of light throughout the day, from dawn to dusk. This performance is in partnership with the K-Music Festival 2022.
@jihasound | @kccuk

Tour of the Korean Gallery through the Lens of Hallyu

Meeting point: The Blavatnik Hall [M]
19.15 and 20.15

Please note these tours have a limited capacity.

Follow our guide Federica Ionta as she deep-dives into our Korean collection to explore the intersection of fine art and entertainment by showcasing traditional art reflected / reinterpreted in Korean pop culture. Through the chosen objects, she will take you on a journey of exquisite craftsmanship and fascinating symbolism in Korean art, underlining their evolution from medieval Korea to the present day.
@federicaionta

Lead image

Director: Daye Yang, Enseo Mo, Oh Se Ae
Photography & artwork: Oh Se Ae
Hair: Daye Yang
Makeup: Min Kim, Jiwon Lee
Styling: Eunseo Mo
Model: Yanghee Han