서울시는 지난 토요일 서울시청 신청사 다목적홀에서 ‘시민이 찾은 길 위의 예술 성과발표회’를 개최, 3개월간 진행된 대장정의 막을 내렸다.작년에 이어 올해 두 번째로 진행된 공공미술 시민발굴단 사업을 통해 101명의 시민발굴단과 11명의 전문 큐레이터가 서울의 아름다운 공공미술작품과 도시환경을 저해하고 개선했으면 하는 공공미술작품을 찾아다녔다.　 지난 토요일 서울시청 신청사 다목적홀에서 열린 ‘시민이 찾은 길 위의 예술 성과발표회’에 참여한 참가자들 (서울시 제공)지난 6월 공무원 정년퇴직하고 시민발굴단 사업에 참가한 강 모 씨는 오랫동안 다녔던 직장과는 전혀 다른 일, 내가 평소에 꼭 해보고 싶었던 일을 할 기회가 생겨 본 사업에 참여하였으며 활동 기간에 뜨거운 태양 아래를 다니면서 많은 사람을 만나고 인생의 아름다운 추억의 한 페이지를 만드는 기회였다고 활동 소감을 밝혔다.　‘우리가 기억하고 싶은 서울‘을 주제로 공공미술을 통해 서울의 기억과 흔적을 탐방한 정요한 씨는 “우리가

지난 4월 서울시는 11명의 예술업계 종사자들과 100여명의 서울시민을 대상으로 서울시 공공미술 시민 발굴단을 선발, 공공미술의 가장 큰 주체이자 향유자인 시민들의 참여를 유도하는 2달 간의 프로젝트를 시작했다.국립현대미술관에서 교육 기획자로 일했던 김현지 씨는 전문가로 그 프로젝트에 참여, 10명의 조원을 이끌고 도시 재생이라는 주제를 바탕으로 서울의 재생 공간들을 찾아 답사를 진행했다.  시민들이 서울시 공공미술 시민 발굴단 활동에 참여하고 있다. (서울시 제공)10번의 답사를 통해 그는 도새 재생을 공공미술이라고 볼 수 있는지, 또 재생공간에서 공공미술은 어떤 기능을 하는가 라는 질문을 자신에게 또한 시민 참여자들에게 꾸준히 제기했다. 김 씨와 조원들은 서울로 7017, 선유도 공원, 아라리오 스페이스 등 서울 내 다양한 재생 공간들을 직접 돌아본 뒤, 그 중 중구에 위치한 세운 상가에서 공공미술의 역할을 뚜렷이 발견했다고 말했다.“세운 상가에서는 지역상인과 작가 간 소통과 참

현직 큐레이터, 예술계 종사자들이 말하는 공공미술시민 참여형 프로그램, 공론화 통해 공공미술 발전시킬 수 있어　전세계으로 주목하고 있는 공공미술은 대중 속으로 파고든다는 개념에서 시민과의 소통을 중시한다.우리 나라 예술계에도 동일한 움직임이 감지되는 가운데 지난 4월 서울시는 10명의 현직 큐레이터들과 100여명의 서울시민을 대상으로 서울시 공공미술 시민 발굴단을 선발, 공공미술의 가장 큰 주체이자 향유자인 시민들의 참여를 유도하는 2달간의 프로젝트를 시작했다.이 프로젝트에 전문 큐레이터로 참가하게 된 임나래 (34)씨는 업계에서 쌓은 약 10년 간의 경험을 통해 공공미술은 “소수가 즐기는 어려운 것이 아니라 더 많은 이들이 저마다의 취향, 필요, 상황에 따라 즐길 수 있는 것”이라고 말했다.“이번 활동을 통해 저희 조원들과 내가 사는 지역사회와 도시에 공공미술이 어떤 긍정적/부정적 변화를 가져왔는지, 또는 어떤 변화를 가져왔으면 좋을지를 이야기하고 있습니다. 무심코 지나쳤던 작품들

국내 최초의 공중 정원이라는 콘셉트로 만들어진 ‘서울로 7017’이 지난 토요일 개장했다.‘서울로 7017’이 개장하면서 서울역 광장에 설치된 조형물 ‘슈즈 트리’(Shoes Tree)가 최대 관심사로 떠올랐다.슈즈트리는 세계적 정원 디자이너로 손꼽히는 황지해 작가의 재능 기부 작품으로, 버려진 신발 3만 켤레로 만들어졌다. 폐기될 신발에 예술적 가치를 부여해 우리의 소비문화를 되돌아 보는 취지이다.  슈즈트리를 설치한 정원 디자이너 황지해 작가가 코리아헤럴드와의 인터뷰에서 포즈를 취하고 있다.다만 몇몇 시민들은 주변과 어울리지 않는다고 비판했다.서울시가 도심 속 공공미술 작품의 가치를 발굴하고 시민들이 직접 개선점을 찾아 제안한다는 취지에서 운영하는 서울시 공공미술 시민 발굴단에서도 다양한 의견이 나왔다.서울시 에너지 복지사로 일하는 김귀리 (49)씨는 “공공미술 작품이 시민들에게 줄 수 있는 즐거움이나 힐링을 (슈즈트리에서) 찾기 힘들었다”며 아쉬움을 표했다.아트 저널리스트로 일

The ruling Saenuri Party on Wednesday tentatively decided to change its name to "Liberty Korea" as part of its effort to refurbish its image and shore up public trust in the wake of a corruption scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her close friend. The party’s interim chief In Myung-jin attends the meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul on Wednesday. (Yonhap)Its official English name will be announced later. The previous name change from the Grand National Party was made some five y

PARIS (AFP) -- Renault-Nissan said Wednesday it sold nearly 10 million vehicles worldwide as the group faces up to accusations that Renault participated in an emissions scandal.Renault-Nissan, which has aspirations to become one of the world's top three carmakers behind Volkswagen and Toyota, said in statement that unit sales jumped by nearly 17 percent to 9.96 million vehicles last year. (Yonhap)German giant Volkswagen is the world's biggest in terms of units sales, with 10.3 million vehicles s

A countdown clock for the first Winter Olympics to take place in South Korea was unveiled on Wednesday. Citizens are posing for a photo in front of the countdown clock on Wednesday in Seoul. (Yonhap)The countdown to the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games will reach one year on Thursday. To celebrate the occasion, Omega, the official Olympic timekeeper, set up the digital clock at Seoul Plaza in front of the city hall. It displays the number of days, hours, minutes and seconds left to the quadrennial

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Pope Francis has repeated his appeal for people to build bridges of understanding instead of walls in his first, albeit indirect, comments since the Trump administration tried to impose a travel ban on people from seven mostly Muslim countries. Pope Francis (AFP)Francis made the comments during his weekly Wednesday catechism lesson, dedicated to the general Christian precepts of hope and forgiveness in forging peace.He said: "In the social and civil context as well, I appeal

MUMBAI (AFP) -- Limits on cash withdrawals will be removed entirely from March 13, India's central bank said Wednesday, as it left interest rates on hold for the second time since a ban on high-value rupee notes.The Reserve Bank of India capped cash withdrawals after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's shock decision in November to take all 500 ($7.40) and 1,000 rupee notes out of circulation to deter tax-dodging -- 86 percent of the currency in the cash-reliant nation.The ensuing cash crunch saw lon

The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday lambasted special prosecutors for leaking the schedule set for investigators to question President Park Geun-hye over her role in the corruption scandal that led to her impeachment, further clouding the prospects of the unprecedented inquiry.Some media outlets reported on the day that Cheong Wa Dae and the probe team, led by Independent Counsel Park Young-soo, had agreed to the plan to question Park face to face at her presidential office on Thu

The Gyeongbu (Seoul-Busan) Expressway near the Yangjae Interchange in southern Seoul is packed with cars on Thursday. (Yonhap)An annual mass migration started in South Korea on Thursday as people headed to their hometowns for one of the country's key traditional holidays.Seol, or Lunar New Year's Day, falls on Saturday this year, with the official holiday period running from Friday to Monday.(Yonhap)Along with Chuseok, the equivalent of Thanksgiving in the United States, Seol marks South Korea's

MEXICO CITY (AFP) -- President Enrique Pena Nieto weighed on Wednesday whether to cancel a meeting with Donald Trump next week as he condemned the US president's decision to build a massive border wall.Lawmakers are pressuring Pena Nieto to scrap Tuesday's talks in Washington after Trump made good on his campaign pledge to quickly order the construction of the barrier."I regret and condemn the decision of the United States to continue construction of a wall that, for years, has divided us instea

Bank lending rates on new household loans edged up in December while interest rates paid by banks on new deposits also increased, central bank data showed Thursday.The average interest rates on fresh household loans extended by local banks came to 3.29 percent last month, up 0.09 percentage point from the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea. (Yonhap)The BOK data came amid South Korea's efforts to tackle rising household debt. The country's overall household debt reached a record high

To many, SBS TV's "Legend of the Blue Sea" ended up as somewhat of an artistic letdown. Famed screenwriter Park Ji-eun's time-slip tale of star-crossed lovers was criticized by many viewers for being derivative and too familiar.But that doesn't mean people tuned out. On the contrary, Wednesday's happy-ending finale claimed the No. 1 spot among its competitors in the same time slot, garnering a 17.9 percent nationwide viewership, according to Nielson Korea. (SBS)The take away? Star power still ma

A lawyer for the jailed woman at the center of the biggest South Korean political scandal in decades said Thursday that prosecutors threatened to "annihilate'' her family and used other abusive language during questioning.The woman, Choi Soon-sil, a longtime friend of President Park Geun-hye, has been arrested for allegedly interfering in state affairs and extorting money from businesses. Park was impeached last month over the scandal and the Constitutional Court is reviewing whether to formally

Rep. Yoo Seong-min of the conservative splinter Bareun Party announced his presidential bid Thursday, pledging to restore justice, and tide the nation over economic and security crises."I am running in the 19th presidential election, keeping the people's anger, frustration and questions about what is statehood in mind," Yoo, 59, said in his statement.The fourth-term lawmaker declared that the fight against corruption will be one of his top priorities in the wake of an immense influence-peddling

SK Group, South Korea's No. 3 conglomerate, said Thursday that its affiliates plan to invest a combined 17 trillion won ($14.7 billion) this year, up 21 percent from last year, although economic uncertainty still persists at home and abroad.Energy and telecom giant SK said its 16 affiliates will newly hire 8,200 this year, up 200 from last year. (Yonhap)SK's aggressive investment plan is accelerating as group chief Chey Tae-won came back to the management last year.In 2014, the group chief stepp

North Korea plans to hold a conference of top performers who are leading efforts to overcome economic difficulties under a new slogan of boosting self-reliance at the end of this year, Pyongyang's state media said Thursday.The central committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea decided to convene a meeting of "Mallima pace-setters" in Pyongyang at the end of 2017, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).Mallima refers to an imaginary horse that can run extreme distances at a very

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- President Donald Trump on Wednesday ordered work to begin on planning and building a wall on the Mexican border, sounding a hardline tone on immigration as he moved to fulfill a key campaign pledge.The US leader instructed officials to begin to "plan, design and construct a physical wall along the southern border" and -- perhaps more problematically -- see how it could be funded."A nation without borders is not a nation," Trump said, echoing former president Ronald Reagan, as

Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Thursday called for enhanced crackdowns on crimes against women and children as part of efforts to ensure public safety amid a national leadership crisis.Since taking over early last month after President Park Geun-hye was impeached by parliament over a corruption scandal, Hwang has prioritized strengthening public safety and national security, and stabilizing citizens' livelihoods."The most important obligation of the government is to seek to