By Honorary Reporter Glaiza Marie Godinez from Philippines
Photos = Glaiza Marie Godinez and Maria Escototo

Three of my friends and I on Nov. 19 experienced Korean art in a unique way at the immersive content exhibition "Korea: Cubically Imagined" at the Art Centre of the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Presented by the Korea Creative Content Agency and Korean Cultural Center (KCC) in the UAE, the free event that ended on Nov. 30 combined Korean culture, digital art and cutting-edge technology in an immersive environment.

The stage of the Las Vegas concert "BTS: Permission to Dance" was recreated with huge LED screens, stereoscopic sound, lighting effects, confetti and Army light sticks that left a realistic impression of the concert environment.

The Korean Oscar-winning movie "Parasite" through a virtual reality (VR) experience gave me a first-person perspective of the story and its metaphors. I used the VR headset to walk into the mansion, go down the creepy basement and get submerged in a flood.

A room featured art from the National Museum of Korea using media facade technology and sound. The scenic landscape paintings "Gangsan Mujindo" (Endless Mountains and Rivers) by Lee Inmun and "Climbing Mount Geumgang" by Jeong Seon and Kim Hong-do from the Joseon Dynasty came alive on the walls, creating a truly healing experience. The visual creations "Be Driven by the Wind" and "Sandstorm" by the visual arts and interactive media group Kallos were also shown.

We stepped into another room and seemingly another world with D'strict’s "Aurora," my favorite work at this exhibition that showed an endless coastline with lapping waves and magical northern lights. Outside was the high digital "Waterfall – Sand" that glowed gold and flowed infinitely.

Multimedia works like "Harmony" by Koo Jun-yeop and "The Blossom" by Hong Sung-dae were best enjoyed with headphones, and a show by visual content creator Design Silverfish highlighted the bright and dynamic beauty of Seoul.

The exhibition showed the rising trend of experiential art and multisensory spaces. I love the idea of the audience not just appreciating art from afar but also hearing, touching and being part of it. "Korea: Cubically Imagined" gave me a new perspective on traditional and contemporary Korean art. 

The exhibition also ran from Nov. 20 to Dec. 4 at the KCC in Abu Dhabi.

kalhong617@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.