The 2015 Cheongju International Craft Biennale, an exhibition of modern crafts from around the world, is only two days away.

The ninth Cheongju International Craft Biennale, set to open in Cheongju, the capital of Chungcheongbuk-do Province (North Chungcheong Province), will cover both craft and design. The "Hands+: Expansion & Coexistence" exhibition will take place at an old tobacco processing plant and at other venues across Cheongju from Sept. 16 to Oct. 25. Over 2,000 artists from 45 nations will display their 7,500 art pieces.

During an opening ceremony on Sept. 16, a work of traditional Korean quilted wrapping cloths on which phrases have been inscribed will be on display at the main venue.

The CD art on display at the biennale is also noteworthy. Under the "850,000 Citizens' Dream" project, three sides of the former tobacco factory have been covered with old CDs. Messages of hope delivered by Cheongju citizens appear at night on LED screens installed on the facade of the old factory. The 308,193 CDs were donated by people living in 31 cities in nine nations, including Korea, Japan, China, the U.S., Canada and Russia, between April and August this year. With the project, the organizer of the biennale is challenging the Guinness World Records for the Largest Display of Compact Discs, which will be unveiled on the opening day.



Visitors will be able to see the newest trends on the traditional and contemporary crafts scene at the main exhibition on the second floor of the old processing plant. The "Making Process" exhibition will be divided into four different themes: Tools of Crafts; Tradition: Re-discovery of Values; Expansion: Characteristics of Material and Technology; and Co-existence: Sympathy and Communication. Forty-six teams from 12 nations, including Korea, Japan, the U.S. and the U.K., will show the process of craft making as it has changed over time.

There will also be an exhibit of crafts made using state-of-the-art technologies. Renowned artists, including Bouke de Vries, Gabriela Ligenza, Tony Marsh, Jeffrey Sarmiento, Roe Kyung-joe and Son Kye-yeon, will all take part in the exhibition.

There is also an exhibition dedicated to late Korean-American artist Nam-june Paik, the famous video art creator. "Turtle," one of his earlier works, will be on display here. The work was recently purchased by a Korean-American and it is expected to depart the country soon after the exhibit. The work consists of 166 screens and monitors shaped into the form of a giant turtle.





Alain de Botton, art director at this year's biennale, will give a special lecture on the craft making process and on the life of a craft artist, at a gymnasium at Cheongju University at 11 a.m. on Oct. 10.

There will also be events for children and teenagers. The Kids Biennale, designed to inspire imagination and creativity, consists of an exhibition, a hands-on experience center and educational and craft making sessions, and will satisfy all five senses as the youths make their very own craft works.

"By referring to what is happening in the contemporary craft world, the exhibition looks into new ways of craft making that is different from conventional methods," said Cho Hye-young, director of this year's biennale. "I hope that children will be able to have more dreams through making their own craftworks."

By Limb Jae-un
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos courtesy of the Cheongju International Craft Biennale Organizing Committee
jun2@korea.kr