By Koh Hyunjeong

"Seoul Light DDP (Dongdaemun Design Plaza)," the leading light exhibition in the nation's capital, has won the Red Dot Design Award in the brands and communication design category, the Seoul Design Foundation said on July 31.

Launched in 2019 and held every winter, this mega-size media facade, or technology that produces visual effects using LED lights and projectors on a building's outer wall, measures 222 m long and uses the unconventional exterior wall of DDP. The event evokes a fantastical atmosphere that combines lights, video and music and attracts an average of a million visitors per year.

One of the world's three leading design competitions, Red Dot selects every year innovative designs in three categories: product, brands and communication, and concept.

"Receiving the main prize of this year's Red Dot Design Awards not only acknowledges the work's excellence but is also a grand feat in that DDP, a leading Seoul landmark, receives global recognition as the optimal canvas for future-oriented media art," foundation CEO Rhee Kyung-don said. "We will continue creating innovative and elegant design content."

For the first time, Seoul Light DDP this year will be held twice, once each in fall and winter. "Seoul Light DDP 2023 Fall," to run from Aug. 31 to Sept. 10 under the theme "Digital Nature," will display new scenes of nature using digital technology by French media artist Miguel Chevalier and Kia Global Design Center. 

The main exhibition slated for winter will feature sideline events like a New Year's countdown.

hjkoh@korea.kr