An exhibition exploring the meaning of letters on everyday objects from ancient to modern times is running at an open storage facility of the National Folk Museum of Korea in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, through March 3.
The exhibition “A Journey Around the Characters” features some 290 household objects, mainly porcelain and earthenware. The collection ranges mostly from the Joseon era (1392-1910) to Korea’s 1945 independence from Japan.
The latest showing by the state-run museum takes place at its Paju branch facility where visitors can look closely at the items on display, an approach the museum says is part of making good on its promise earlier this year to deliver a more lively museum experience.
“The Paju branch is already known for its ‘open’ storage facility and we want everyone coming here to feel really connected with what they see,” a museum official said of eight rooms at the facility open for the exhibition.
The presentation is divided into ten sections: “Documentation of Information,” “Auspiciousness in Everyday Life,” “Characters on Stationery Items,” “Measurement and Units,” “Commemoration and Tribute,” “Signs and Symbols,” “Engraving and Transfer,” “Wishes in Everyday Life,” “Life, Death, and Grief” and “Patterns and Designs.”
Jang Ji-jeong, one of the officials who organized the show, singled out the “White Porcelain Jar with Inscription Characters in Underglazed Cobalt Blue and Iron” as the must-see piece.
The porcelain from the Baekje Kingdom (18 BC-660 AD) was a kitchen item to store rice or “jang” -- traditional Korean pastes and sauces. The jar’s inscription reads, “Anyone who takes this will be blessed with money.”
The jar represents the kind of common objects that might have gone less noticed than warranted, according to Kim. Revisiting the forgotten significance is the Paju exhibition’s aim, Jang added.
The free showing will have accommodations like a Braille pamphlet explaining the works.
