Coming to the Travel Channel this autumn is a new travel documentary on Korea. At the Korea Tourism evening at the KCC last week we were given a preview. It was refreshing: a Korean tourism documentary, but from a Westerner’s perspective. Yes, we were told that the KTO assisted in the film’s production, but the … [Read More]
Category: Event reports and reviews (page 42)
In pictures: the Kingston Korean Festival 2009
In the past, there’s always been some reason why I couldn’t get to the Korean Festival in Kingston. This year the way things panned out I could only manage to spend an hour there over lunchtime, but it’s a fun day out. A tip: there are two reasons not to go there by car. (1) … [Read More]
The Dandelion’s Story – another Edinburgh hit
Colin Bartlett gives a thumbnail sketch of another Edinburgh Fringe production by Modl Theatre, from Korea: A delightful well-crafted show for children and adults I’m much older than a child, but I liked it a lot, and the others in the audience, both children and adults, seemed to be enjoying it as well. The production … [Read More]
Concert Review: Unsuk Chin at the BBC Proms — A new work enters the Cello repertoire
Last Thursday (13 August) saw the world premiere of the cello concerto by Unsuk Chin, a BBC commission. Chin, who was born in Korea in 1961, has been composer-in-residence for both the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. She is a careful worker: the new work was originally scheduled for the 2007 Prom … [Read More]
Summer cooking with Kiejo
Jennifer Barclay, author of Meeting Mr Kim: Or How I Went to Korea and Learned to Love Kimchi, learns to cook traditional Korean food… Kiejo Sarsfield stands in her Cath Kidston apron in a kitchen stuffed with cookery books in leafy Chalfont St Giles. Having left South Korea thirty years ago and lived all over … [Read More]
A Love in Dream: Edinburgh’s must-see production
Every year Colin Bartlett goes to Edinburgh to sample the various productions at the Fringe, and makes a point of seeing the Korean talent. Each year I hope he’s going to write a survey of the various shows for LKL. This year, I’ve managed to intercept an email he wrote to a friend recommending Modl … [Read More]
Beethoven in a bin bag
Tonight’s Storm and Stress evening at Goldsmiths: if I’d been playing Beethoven in a bin bag on such a hot and sweaty evening, I’d have been a bit stressed too http://bit.ly/jyQ9i #. But it was different, and unexpected. [Read More]
The Crossfields fashion designs
Glad that they’ve got some of the fashion on display at the KCC Crossfields show. It was too crowded to appreciate them at the opening. # [Read More]
A celebration of food, fashion and music
Outside the Banqueting House, two Choson dynasty guards in colourful robes stood to attention to welcome the hundreds of guests. Inside, Han Style and Korean hospitality was waiting. It was in this prestigious venue that the Embassy and Cultural Centre had chosen to launch the Korean food offensive in the UK, in an evening entitled … [Read More]
Sesame and Saatchi – two contemporary Korean art exhibitions
The first hanging of the Moon Generation exhibition, for all the fanfares which went with it, was disappointing. Single works by different artists can work in a room together – Christie’s showed us how with their recent photography sale – but the Moon Generation curator’s first shot at doing so failed. In part, this was … [Read More]
Guerrilla artists take on the establishment
In the north-east extremities of the City, on the fringes of bohemian Hoxton, is I-MYU, a small gallery on the first floor of a shared block. You need to ring the doorbell to gain admittance. Since its opening nearly two years ago, I-MYU has been championing the cause of Korean artists. Im Jeongae and Yu … [Read More]
A scientific look at ancient Korean art
Jennifer Barclay reports on the Anglo-Korean Society evening at the Korean Cultural Centre, 16 June 2009 Short documentaries on some of Korea’s ancient cultural artefacts were shown at the Korean Cultural Centre on 16 June, presented by members of the non-profit Korean Spirit and Cultural Promotion Project. Matthew Jackson and Hang-Jin Chang, who graduated together … [Read More]
Global Korea Lecture: When whisky could buy you a jeep
Two days before the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1874, the second of the Global Korea lectures at the Cultural Centre looked at another time, nearly 60 years ago, when the Korean Peninsula was at the top of the UN’s agenda. It was a shame that a transport strike resulted in a reduced turnout … [Read More]
Nanta: Catch it while you can
It’s impossible not to admire the hard-working, multi-talented Koreans who perform in the energetic shows like Breakout (2007), Jump (2002), and, the original, Nanta (1997), which is currently showing at the Rose Theatre. And it’s impossible not to be entertained. There’s probably little to say about Nanta which hasn’t already been said. The performers are … [Read More]
Yoon Bok-hee: a Korean Kitten in Kingston
“Aigoo!” grumbled veteran pop diva Yoon Bok-hee as she bent down to untangle a kink in the microphone cable. Her back didn’t seem to be giving her any problems though. She told us twice, to much applause, that she is now 63 years old, and very sprightly she is too. This was all part of … [Read More]
Concert notes: a Chunghyang operatic evening at the KCC
Sol Opera Company has just been on a European tour, and before it goes back to Korea it came to the Korean Cultural Centre to present some arias. Sol O pera Company is based in Busan, and was introduced to the audience by the ROK ambassador, himself a Busanite. Sol has been going for seven … [Read More]