Seoul Museum of Craft Art launches interactive woodworking exhibition for children

The Seoul Museum of Craft Art has opened "The Secret of Trees," an interactive children's exhibition featuring seven works by woodworking artist Somokjang Semi. Running until September 19 of next year, the exhibition allows visitors to explore wood through sensory activities and cooperative play at the museum's Education Building.

An interactive exhibition for children, where participants can explore the colors, patterns, textures, and scents of wood while experiencing the principles of craft through direct combination, is being held at the Seoul Museum of Craft Art.

Starting today (3rd) and running until September 19 of next year, the Seoul Museum of Craft Art is hosting "The Secret of Trees," a special exhibition for the Children's Museum located on the 3rd floor Kids Cafe (Children's Studio) of the Education Building. In collaboration with woodworking artist Somokjang Semi (Yu Hye-mi), the exhibition translates traditional woodworking techniques into play and creative activities tailored to a child's perspective.

The exhibition focuses on exploring the various characteristics of wood, which is familiar in daily life, and its potential for craft. Visitors can explore the different colors, patterns, textures, and scents of various woods and experience the process of how raw materials are transformed into artworks and play tools through the hands of a craftsperson.

Somokjang Semi, who participated in the exhibition, is an artist who has produced furniture, spaces, and play structures based on traditional woodworking techniques. She continues to work on connecting furniture, play, and art by modernizing the joinery and connection methods used in traditional furniture making and exploring the physical properties and structures of wood.

The exhibition is organized into three themes: "Discovering Senses," "Discovering Structures," and "Discovering Possibilities." According to each theme, seven works are presented that allow for the sensory exploration of wood's characteristics, the creation of new forms by combining pieces, or the experience of physical activities and cooperative play.

In the "Discovering Senses" area, visitors explore the colors, patterns, textures, and scents of wood. Acupressure Bench is a work designed to let visitors experience the sensory characteristics of wood through various wood protrusions and scents. Rotating Maze: Maze of the Earth, Maze of the Roots was inspired by tree roots spreading into the ground; visitors can explore various paths by moving marbles within the maze.

In "Discovering Structures," activities include fitting wood pieces together and combining wood veneers. In Hangeul Floor: The Secret of Trees, visitors can create letters and words using wood pieces shaped like consonants and vowels. It is also possible to compose personal stories using words related to wood, such as "knot," "root," and "seed." The Wood Veneer Workshop Table is a work where visitors cut and paste wood veneers with different colors and patterns to create images, which are then viewed through a lightbox.

The "Discovering Possibilities" area consists of physical activities and cooperative play using wood. Climbing Pull-up Ball is a work where visitors move while controlling their body strength and balance by grabbing a wooden ball hanging from a rope. At the Foosball Table, two people can enjoy a game of kicking a ball into the opponent's goal. Cooperative Game is an activity where two people hold a rope together and coordinate strength and direction to move a ball to a target point.

The Seoul Museum of Craft Art also plans to operate exhibition-linked workshops with artist Somokjang Semi in December. This program allows children to meet the artist directly and share stories about woodcraft; detailed schedules and participation methods will be announced later through the museum's website.

To view the exhibition, visitors must make a prior reservation for "Children's Museum General Admission" on the Seoul Museum of Craft Art website.

"I hope this exhibition serves as an opportunity for children to encounter wood and craft more intimately," said Park Sang-bin, Director of the Seoul Museum of Craft Art. "We will continue to present various exhibitions that can expand children's curiosity and imagination through collaborations with craft artists."

Read the original (Korean)