Provincial Korean village to get facelift as part of Delphic Games

By Shin Hae-in
JEJU ISLAND, South Korea, Sept. 13 (Yonhap) -- Ten innovative buildings designed
by some of the most renowned architects from in and out of South Korea are to be
built in a remote village here as part of the ongoing International Delphic
Games, organizers of the global cultural competition said Sunday.
Twenty architects from seven countries including South Korea, Italy, Canada and
Japan are currently taking part in the architectural arts competition of the
third Delphic Games running on Jeju Island, the results of which will be
reflected in the renovation of Jeju's Gasiri Village, Kim Young-joon, the
project's director said.
The village, located on the southeastern side of Mount Halla, is a relatively
underdeveloped region where many villagers were victimized during the so-called
April 3 uprising. The 1948 incident resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands
of people after a popular uprising was harshly put down following the end of
Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule.
"Instead of choosing the winner of the contest, we will put into practice the
ideas gathered from the competitors, building 10 small constructions within the
village," Kim explained during a press gathering Sunday.
The third Delphic Games, to be held through Sept. 14, have drawn 395 people from
35 countries, all hoping to showcase their talents and cultural heritage.
Participants perform in 18 competitions in six large categories: music and
acoustic arts; performing arts; crafts, design and visual arts; linguistic arts;
communication and social arts; and architecture and ecological arts.
The project is based on the latter two competitions, winners of which will be
given the Delphic Lyre Award -- awarded to the competitor who best blends
different cultures in the performance -- instead of medals.
Some of the participants are Jose Luis Esteban Penelas from Spain, Kojima
Kazuhiro from Japan, Kamiel Klasse from the Netherlands and Kim Jong-kyu from
South Korea.
"What is very interesting about this project is that all these people are present
here to create something that will become a part of the country, affecting the
place where the games are being held," said Alejandro Zaera Polo, a Spanish
architect and member of the jury. "I think this is very much a part of the games'
purpose -- to blend national and global culture into a specific environment."
"This opportunity is very important, because most of the time an architecture is
produced under the pressure of investment or profit," the renowned construction
artist added. "But this exercise offers the opportunity to collect ideas of
participants worldwide with the first objective not being about profit."
With most of the expenses to be funded by the government, project participants
plan to begin construction soon after the Delphic Games, completing all 10
buildings sometime early next year. The constructions will include small houses
and pavilions.
"This is a meaningful event in terms of the fact that the Delphic Games will
actually help refurbishing a small farming village," director Kim said. "We hope
this project will set a good example for the next series of games."
The communication and social arts; and architecture and ecological arts
competitions were newly established in the third Delphic Games.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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