HERE BE DRAGONS

URBAN MOUNTAIN RANGES

The following is an article by Mr J. S. Gale written in 1900. He was a presbyterian missionary who spent eleven years in Korea, and also wrote the Korean-English Dictionary (Yokohama, 1897)

Mountains are all personified in Korea. They are dragons usually, and according to their formation, graves situated on them are propitious or unpropitious. It never does to build a house upon a moving or flying dragon. If the personal influences of a hill site be too strong, there will be many goblins, and the house will come to destruction...There is always associated in the native’s mind the idea of guardianship with the mountains. Seoul, the capital, has to its north its guardian mountain Sam-kak-san the three-horned mountain... Graves too must have their guardian peaks or the family will not prosper. A common saying in geomancy, “Dragons do not see stones, me do not see dust (in the air), dogs do not see snow, tigers do not see paper.”

People are born according to the formation of the hills on which their ancestors’ grave are situated. A craggy geomantic formation brings forth warriors, a smooth well-rounded formation brings forth scholars - a pointed formation brings forth writers - an opposing formation brings forth robbers - jade peaks bring forth beautiful women. Of course all of this must be viewed and tested by a geomancer, to know what forms are destined to appear.

Mr. Sin-Ki-Sun, the present prime minister of Korea, remarked recently that Korea could never be independent, because she had so many mountains. “Mountains,” said he, “depending as they do on each other, denote dependence.”

The mountains are unavoidable in Seoul, and no matter how far the city spreads, there will always be the tip of a mountain looming in the skyline. Few cities have such an available opportunity to look back at itself. Given this, and the importance of mountain to the culture of Korea, it no wonder that so many people choose to climb them every weekend. In doing so you are given the chance to see yourself within the city, where your home is, and where your friends and family are - your place within the world. They may be a heterotopia unique to Korea, a antithesis to disorienting effects of travel by subway.

URBAN MOUNTAINOUS

In recent times, new shapes has risen out of the ground obscuring the old mountains and perhaps creating new ones - the APTs. It is doubtful that these have the same resonance.

MOUNTAINOUS URBAN

The view of man to mountain and mountain to man has always been an important one. It is a shame the view of man back to mountain is becoming increasingly rare.

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3 DAYS WITH AN ARCHITECT

One morning I left with the commuters to go to work, and took the subway across the river (though in the opposite direction to most). Koreans appear to commute like most everyone else, locked in their own little world, packed in tight - though portable televisions seem to be the object of attention. Every once in a while something or someone would soften these boundaries. Of all the preachers, pop-up tai-chi practisers and ankle sock salesmen, certainly the most heartwarming was the ripple effect of a baby's appearance. Men, women and children would come over all ga-ga.

Morning Commute - Photo by TD

There is something different to Seoul around Yangjae, perhaps it is because it is south of the Han, but perhaps it is that, having reached my stop on the bus, you are suddenly presented with a view to a mountain. It is as if Seoul stops. From here on the land returns to mountains.

Cheonggyeangsan Mountain - Photo by TD

I know that this is not actually true, but still I feel that this presence of mountain within the city centre, of nature as where civilisation is not, jutting into civilisation, must have some relevance to the psyche to the cities inhabitants. At the same time, one often finds the APT buildings jutting through a layer of trees in exactly the same way. Perhaps there is some strange juxtaposition of undeniable vertical elements within the city that Seoulites may be aware of at a subconscious level. This might lead me to hope that a vertical insertion of memorial may be more bearable but I will have to wait and see.

The purpose of this commute was to work for Jongwhan Ahn, at his practice in Yangjae, AN Architect. He had been invited to enter a competition to design an art gallery dedicated to the artist Whanki Kim in the village, on the island, where he grew up.

Eupdong-ri, Anjwa-myeon, Sinan County, South Korea - Site - Via Google Maps

Kim's artwork is dominated by the colours and shapes he was surrounded with growing up by the sea, and grew up obsessed with the ocean. This is somewhat apparent by looking at any of his paintings.

블루 시리즈 - Whanki Kim

So, by siting a gallery in his home village, it is hoped that visitors might gain some insight or context into the world this artist inhabited. Whether successful or not, the integration of the particular light, tone and landscape inherent to this island setting was essential to the competition design.

Whanki Art Gallery - Competition - AN Architect - visual by TD

After three days, the model, and visuals were finished. More than that, as we worked together, and talked together, and ate and drank together, I gained some insight or context into the world Jonghwan Ahn inhabited, and he mine.

Having studied and worked in London, not to mention actually being Korean, he is able to express Korea to me far better than my reading a book, taking a photograph or walking the city. Jonghwan Ahn has offered to assist in my development of 6 Feet Up, giving advice, explanation and assistance where he can. In so doing, he has become the first official Friend of 6 Feet Up.

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