By Honorary Reporter Foteini Chatzoudi from Greece
Photos = Kwon Hyung-soon

The National Museum of Korea in Seoul from Sept. 26-28 held the "Dress Like a Museum Exhibit," a costume contest and festival featuring the use of museum artifacts as wearable costumes. 

The awards ceremony on Sept. 27 at the museum's Open Plaza honored ten finalists for creations inspired by Buddhist statues, celadon vases and folk paintings.

The overall winner was the team of Kang Han-min and Kwon Hyung-soon. Kwon, a U.S.-trained photographer, works in photography and distribution in Korea and Kang, who earned a Ph.D. in landscape architecture, is a researcher at a landscape company.

Both men dressed up as the Golden Earring of Hwango-dong, Gyeongju, a treasure from the Silla Dynasty (57 B.C. to A.D. 935). 

In an email interview on Sept. 29, Kwon discussed his team's design and how this contest fostered a deeper connection to Korea's cultural heritage.

The winning entry in the "Dress Like a Museum Exhibit" contest is the Golden Earring of Hwango-dong, Gyeongju.

On the inspiration for his team's winning work, Kwon said it began with Kang wanting to create lasting memories with his daughter after seeing the golden earring in her textbook.

"It had to reflect the original piece while remaining wearable," he said, adding that lightweight materials like bubble wrap was used to make the earring detachable. 

The biggest challenge, he said, was replicating the gold’s texture, which was done by layering Hanji (traditional paper) and highlighting details with gold lacquer.

Kwon said, "Through this project, I hope people can appreciate and take pride in the excellence of Korean craftsmanship."

Kang Han-min (left) and Kwon Hyung-soon (right) on Sept. 27 appear on stage at the contest's awards ceremony at the museum's Open Plaza in Seoul.

On his favorite moment, he said, "Every step was enjoyable but the most rewarding moment came when the costume, something that once felt impossible to complete, was finally finished and truly came to life as I wore it."

"Honestly, creating this cosplay taught me a lot about the history of the golden earrings, which I've shared with others," he added. "I hope it inspires people to appreciate the richness of our history and heritage."

Turning to his next project, Kwon said, "I'm intrigued by the Smile of Silla, a roof-end tile called sumaksae (convex finishing tile)" referring to an item used as early as the ancient period of the Three Kingdoms.

msjeon22@korea.kr

*This article was 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.