Arts and Crafts in Digital Age
@Seoul Museum of Art Craft (SeMoCA)
Victoria and Albert Museum, Photo by Younji Kang
When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life
-Samuel Johnson-
People who live in London say London is a place of love and hate. But for me, it always has been a beloved city. Because this marvellous city has a great number of museums and art galleries, which makes me thrilled to choose which places I should visit the next time. One of the joyful moments that I encounter was at Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in South Kensington. V&A has played a pivotal role to represent the history of art and craft as well as a place for dialogue in contemporary art. Whilst doing a MA degree in Museum Studies, the V&A with multiple exhibitions was my prime reference of inspiration.
The Seoul Museum of Craft Art (SeMoCA) opened as the first public museum of craft art in Korea in 2021. Since the museum has opened for 2 years, somehow I couldn't visit until recently. In early 2023, I finally determined to visit this museum in Seoul. Guess what I feel? I would love to visit again if I can easily be nearby.
One of my 'Wow' points was that I could see a variety of digital interactions for the exhibition. At the gallery, I observed many 3D-printed replicas for enhancing visitors' engagement through hands-on experience. 3D printing has been a significant technology as a bridge between the visitor and the object. In craft, hands play a crucial role that understanding the craft techniques. 3D printing models are satisfied our needs for touching objects, feeling the texture and its shapes as well as embracing a range of visitors even visually impaired people.
Korea's craft heritage is shown in metalcraft created since the Bronze age, earthenware and ceramic that is fired in kilns with a high temperature, and lacquerware using wood and shell. As craft history has shown a range of diverse crafts, it is important to explain how to make each object in terms of the use of specific materials or crafting skills in detail. You will get the clue from artisans via multiple videos in each exhibition space. You can watch a short video of how the artworks have been worked so hard via the artisans' interview.
The mission of the Seoul Museum of Art Crafts is 'Crafts for everyone, Museum for everyone'. A variety of digital technologies at exhibitions has been a key player in enhancing visitors' experience. In addition, you can find a virtual reality(VR) exhibition on the website. (https://ecraftmuseum.kr/ ) It gives you abundant meaningful moments, providing an immersive digital environment as well as opening a platform for everybody regardless of where you live.
