2014/10/10

MMCA Museum and Insadong



When I bought a Korean fashion magazine, I received a couple of vouchers as a free gift - most were for cafes, but one offered free entry into the MMCA in Seoul for two people, so I grabbed the voucher, Anette and my camera and we went there. We looked up the direction very briefly, relying on google maps instead. The problem with google maps in Korea is that they don't really work properly - naver maps would have been a smarter option. So on our first try, we got sent to a completely different street filled with small galleries and we visited one of them (to be honest, we went in thinking that might be it).








Then we managed to find the right place on the map and started walking towards it, passing several interesting places on our way - a buddhist temple, beautiful flowers, abandoned run down building...





And we got there! At the moment, there is an art installation as a part of an international competition for re-designing open spaces (if I understood the brief correctly).




 Inwang mountain can be seen behind the installation, if you look from the other side than the photo above is representing.
 



 


Inside - this blue fabric house with a hanok house inside is called something along the lines of "a house within a house within a house within a house within a house".


Otherwise, the current theme for most of the artworks is... MATH! Haha I bet that alone is sufficient to scare most people away. =D My family is very math-friendly though and it was one of my and my brother's favorite subjects at school, so I was very excited to see the artsy take on math - or more precisely, the mathematization of today's world. It is also argued that art has never been free from math, as artists actually calculate a lot - price, proportions, material... The exhibition is also supposed to commemorate the first time an important mathematician congress takes place in Korea in the summer of 2014.


Seoul in numbers...


"If A equals success,
then the formula is: A = X + Y + Z
X is work, Y is play, Z is keep your mouth shut."
(Albert Einstein) 



"Do not worry about your difficulties in mathematics. 
I assure you that mine is greater."
(Albert Einstein) 





The "proper" view of the balloon forest - but it's still not as nice as their promotional photo. It should appear as if the roof of the hanok building is floating.



Then we walked around a bit...












And we stumbled across  Unhyeongung by chance - an old palace.










Before going back, we went to Dawon - one of the top 5 teahouses in Seoul according to CNN Travel. It's been serving tea lovers for 30 years and is very popular - it's not that easy to get a seat during weekend. I believe Anette ordered ginseng tea and I opted for their seasonal drink - omija punch. We ordered also one portion of fluffy and crispy rice cakes. I can definitely recommend this place, as the staff was friendly despite the busy hours, the prices were quite affordable and comparable to prices in less famous cafes (I think we paid around 17 000 Won for everything), the tea and rice cakes tasted great and the place itself is beautiful.  






Yours truly
Vita

6 comments:

  1. oh your photos are so amazing!!! i love to see you in front of the ballons and your dress is just amazing!!!
    you are so lucky!!!! yummy ginseng teea!!!
    xxx

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  2. Oh very beautiful pics sweetie~
    xx

    www.sakuranko.com

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  3. Tak ty poslední 2 místa vypadají božsky. :)

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  4. the photos are great I am glad you had a fantastic time. It is quite what I've imagined south korea to be, a mix between the new and the old, tradition and inovation (:

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  5. Nádherný fotky! Moc ti závidim, tohle bych chtěl taky vidět na vlastní oči. Jinak balónový les vypadá spíš jako les obřích česneků! :D

    ReplyDelete