Honorary Reporter Helia Nikzaddinan From Iran

Photo = Helia Nikzaddinan

King Sejong Institute has two branches in Iran given the high number of Hallyu fans in the country and offers lots of cultural activities for Iranians. 

The Tehran branch from Nov. 21-25 held a week of cultural workshops that attracted 150 students. 

Minhwa

One of the first workshops came on Nov. 21 and featured minhwa, a form of traditional folk painting often drawn by ordinary people with no art training or background. 

The necessary tools for the workshop such as a ready-to-paint minhwa set was sent to students just before the workshop began to help them get firsthand experience in this craft. 

The first part of the workshop was dedicated to theory and began with a brief introduction to minhwa, its history and characteristics. Participants also had the chance to see professional examples of the art and learn the techniques used to paint them. 

Afterwards, the main and most exciting part: coloring minhwa. The teacher showed colored samples to students to give them ideas, and later guided them on properly using the colors to make true minhwa. In addition, the participants also created another piece of art through an instructional video sent at the end of the workshop.

Hanbok

The next workshop held on the same day was on Hanbok and making the related fashion accessory norigae. 

Participants before the event received a package related to Hanbok and its accessories like tools to make norigae and a traditional wallet. First, the teacher gave a brief history of Hanbok, explaining each part of the clothing, the terms in Korean and the clothing's evolution over the years. 

Afterwards, she explained Hanbok's accessories and guided the class in making the items inside their packages by playing a video. She also shared her way of making the accessories via Zoom. Finally, the talented participants showed their well-made accessories.

Seoye

The Tehran branch also held a seoye (calligraphy) workshop from Nov. 22-23. The teacher gave a brief history of and helpful information on this Korean art, such as the tools needed to start calligraphy and types.

She later played a video on doing calligraphy while explaining the movements and detailed ways of doing it. Sentences were shown to students to help them create their own masterpieces. In the end, the screen of the workshop turned into an artistic scene with the sentences students wrote.

Handicrafts

The final workshop of the week on Nov. 25 covered Korean handicrafts and making a traditional Korean square plate using Hanji (traditional paper). Participants received supplies like glue for this event.

The teacher gave a briefing on the history of Korean handicrafts and showed examples and evidence of them from ancient times, displaying a pottery piece from the Silla Kingdom and antique gold earrings to show the history of the handicrafts in Korea.

enny0611@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.