A Field Report on the Art Movement: The Case of Mullae Arts Village, Seoul

Abstract

This study takes a deep look at the art movement as cultural practices based on the local community by focusing on the case of the Mullae Arts Village in Seoul, Korea. The study adopts an ethnography to explore the characteristics of an art movement grounded in a specific location by pointing out the way art movements occur in the urban space through the example of the Mullae Arts Village. The findings are drawn from participant observation and in-depth interviews of natives, as well as literature reviews. The research examined: (1) the art movement of the Mullae Arts Village originates directly from our daily lives, (2) the “inside members” of the village are skeptical about the integration of artistic practices with cultural businesses, as the “inside” and “outside” members understand the cultural policies of the Seoul City Officials differently, (3) looking at how differently the people of the village consider “art” and “community art” leads us to discuss the very essence of artists’ role and to seek an appropriate direction for art movements. Last of all, members explain that Mullae, where the art movement is held, volunteers as an alternative place for art activities. The opinions of the village members are also sought to identify any possibility for the area to fully perform its role as an alternative art movement site in the future. Each phase of the field research is presented in detail, leading to a consideration of ethnography as the field study. Furthermore, this paper deals with the social dimension of art movements, and offers a discussion on the junction of communication, community and culture.



Author Information
Hyejin Jo, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, South Korea

Paper Information
Conference: IICAHHawaii2017
Stream: Humanities - Other Humanities

This paper is part of the IICAHHawaii2017 Conference Proceedings (View)
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Posted by James Alexander Gordon