The December edition of the Seoul Light show, a media facade show organized by the Seoul Design Foundation, kicked off on Dec. 17, welcoming visitors and tourists to enjoy large-scale light-emitting diode video displays woven into the exterior surface of the Dongdaemun Design Plaza.
Seoul Light is an annual event that features media facade shows at the famed DDP in central Seoul, utilizing projection mapping and the curved aluminum-panel surface of the architectural building.
The show comes in two separate rounds. The first round of the show for the fall season took place in October, and the second round -- the main show -- opened its doors to visitors this month.
The first edition of the media show was held in 2019 and has since garnered more than 1 million visitors. It has also become a must-visit winter galore in Seoul, according to the design foundation.
The fourth edition of the event is being held under the theme “Designing Life at the Universe.” The design foundation said this year’s media show aims to follow the government’s plans for space development by presenting a snippet of the future where people could build their daily lives in the universe.
The winter edition of the media facade show takes “Rendezvous” as its main theme to narrate the story of the DDP, which resembles a giant spaceship. In line with the story, the entire surface of the building has been decorated into imagined images of outer space.
The December show also exhibits a special projection mapping work for the Christmas holidays. A special New Year’s Eve countdown event will also be showcased.
The winter edition runs until Jan. 1.
Artists joining the media facade show and their works include graphic artist Nsyme’s “Universal Traveler,” graffiti artist BFMIN’s “Helloman: Heart Beat” and design studio Giantstep’s “Beginning of the Journey.”
On the sidelines of the event, Kia, the design foundation’s business partner and the country's second-largest carmaker, is also holding an exhibition titled “Opposites United” through Saturday.
The show held under Kia’s five design philosophies -- “Technology for Life,” “Bold for Nature,” “Joy for Reason,” “Power to Progress” and “Tension for Serenity” -- features a lounge area consisting of five installations works with media art.
“This year’s Seoul Light DDP is an experimental stage where we will be able to showcase our cosmic imagination,” said Rhee Kyung-don, the CEO of Seoul Design Foundation, via a press release.
Rhee also expressed hopes that the event could be a ray of hope when people are going through times of trouble. “It is a festival that shows hope for the upcoming new year, so I hope people would revel in fun provided by the event.”
