Jeong Wa Choi [Korean Artist]

This Wednesday, several volunteers, including myself, helped blow up balloons for Jeong Wa Choi's brilliant instillation 'Life Life'.

Jeong Wa Choi gazing at his work of art 'Life Life'
Source: KCCUK

Jeong Wa Choi (최정화) is a famous Korean artists who has created amazing architecture and interior all over the world from Korea to Australia and now in London. But it isn't the first time he has come to London to showcase his art. His first project in London was way back in 2004 where he made the Happy Happy Project.

I was lucky enough to help him with his latest installation 'Life Life', a tree with an array brightly coloured balloons hanging on a tree between the South Bank Centre and Queen Elizabeth Hall.

Source: KCCUK

There are several volunteers on hand to blow up the balloons, some who even started from 9am, showing their commitment to the project and appreciation for Jeong Wa Choi's art. Luckily we didn't have to blow them up manually as there were pumps to help making things a lot easier. All the volunteers hard work paid off as the finished product looked fantastic.

Source: KCCUK

The Life Life tree
Source KCCUK

After the event, the volunteers has time to unwind and relax. Me and some of my fellow K-Pop Academy classmates, had the privilege of speaking to Mr Choi about his artwork. When asked about where he got his inspiration for 'Life Life', he replied 'in your heart' showing his art is in the eye of the beholder and depends on the viewers perception.

Source: KCCUK

Source: KCCUK

 All in all, I had a great time helping at the event and I'm sure there will be more events like this in the future.

If you want to find out more about the spectacular pieces of art Mr Choice has made all over the world, click here.

K-Pop Academy [Week 12] Gradutation Ceremony

This Saturday it was the K-Pop Academy graduation ceremony. Boohoo~. Can't believe it's going to be over even though it feels like just yesterday that it started. But as usual, the Korean Cultural Centre (KCC) prepared a wonderful ceremony for us.

Pictures of the students

To start the ceremony, Ambassador Choo said a few words about how successful he felt the K-Pop Academy scheme had been in helping us get a better understanding of Korean culture. His speech was followed by the KA students singing the KA song which was composed by my fellow classmate Katerina, a talented singer and composer.

K-Pop Academy students singing the KA song

A group of student performed a hilarious skit of what would happen if there was a K-Pop Academy reunion in 40 years. Pictures of popular idol groups were ingeniously edited and some of the funniest groups were 'Girls Generation' which was changed to 'Granny Generation' and '2NE1' was changed to '6NE1'.

Students performing their skit
Source: KCC

After this we each gave a little speech about our experience at the K-Pop Academy and how our views of Korea have changed as a result of our involvement in the K-Pop Academy. From my own personal experience I said how I felt that before the K-Pop Academy I thought I well-rounded understanding of Korean culture, but I realised how little I knew about the history and traditional aspects. It was great hearing what others thought and how we all had the same view.

Giving a speech about my experience

After a short break, guest speakers gave their thoughts on how successful they felt the scheme was. It was amazing hearing the positive feedback the guests said.

Brigadier Brian Parrit talking about how great he felt the K-Pop Academy was

Then it was time for our certificates to be given out. I was presented with the 'Best Director Award' which I found pretty funny. There'll be no reason for my to make dorky YouTube videos anymore. *Sigh* Haha.

Ambassador Choo and Directon Won presenting me with my award

The Director then announced the winner of the best performing student: Amy Moorfield. Congratulation Amy~! =)

As if the day wasn't filled with enough surprises and activities, it was revealed that Big Bang has a video message for us! Oh my gosh~! BIG BANG!!

After a long day, the KCC provided us with a wonderful buffet~. Definitely a great way to end the day.

Source: KCCUK

Source: KCCUK

Although we made a video showing our appreciation for all the time and effort the KCC took into organising everything for the K-Pop Academy, we felt that it wasn't enough so we brought a cake with 'Thank You KCC' written on it.

Students giving the cake to Directon Won

Overall it was a brilliant day~! I can honestly say I've enjoyed every minute of the K-Pop Academy and  I can't express my gratitude to the KCC for giving us a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Thank youuuuuuuuuu~!

K-Pop Academy [Week 11 - Homework]

Seeing as we visited the British Museum this week, our homework was based about the National Treasures of Korea. There are so many beautiful historical sites I would love to visit in Korea but I focused on Korea's intangible heritage of humanity instead.

During my visit to Korea, I saw a spectacular Taekwondo performance. From then onwards I have been in awe with Korean martial arts which is why for this weeks homework I chose to do a promotional video for Taekkyeon (택견), a form of traditional Korean martial arts. 

Here is a video of Taekkyeon:

I tried to the mimic the style of the Infinity Chanllenge's Bibimbap promotional video too:

Although I attempted to imitate various moves from videos of Taekkyeon, I added my own moves which is why I called it 'Tam-kwondo'. Check out my video below:

Mandatory Homework

In addition to the video, this week we also had another piece of homework. We visited the British Museum for this weeks class and were told there were some errors in some of the description in the Korean room.

After class, a group of us K-Pop Academy students visited the Korean room again searching like crazy for the errors. We even attempted to speak Korean to Korean visitors to ask if they had realised any errors and they attempted to help us but had no luck too.

Therefore I decided to us my best friend Google. =)

It turns out that the birthplace of the Buddha was incorrectly noted to be in India, however, the British Museum have now corrected this information.

An iron statue of a Buddha in Korean room in the British Museum
Source: KCCUK

So how could the Korean room in the British Museum improve to promote Korea's cultural heritage more effectively?

1. More about Korean traditional music

Having learnt about how Korean music has evolved, it would have been nice to see artefacts of the early instruments used in Korea. The techniques used to make the instuments in the past and now may differ a lot. Therefore it would have been great if there was more information about traditional Korean music now that Korean music, especially K-Pop, is becoming more popular.

2. More about Korean art

Although there were numerous traditional Korean ceramics in the museum, personally I would have liked to see more traditional paintings and drawings. I am aware that there are some marvellous Korean folk paintings, such as the ones below, so I would have loved to see more in the Korean room.

Painting of Taekwondo

3. More about the Korean language

Having gained a better understanding of the birth of the Korean writing system, Hanguel, through the K-Pop Academy, it would be truly amazing if there were pieces of early documents written in Hanguel.

Overall, although there were many beautiful artefacts in the Korean room, in my opinions the room would better promote Korean culture if it provided more information on traditional Korean music, art and Hanguel.

K-Pop Academy [Week 11]

This week us K-Pop Academy students took a field trip to the British Museum. Exciting~.. I've only visited the museum once even though it's so close to my university, so it was lovely going with the KA class.

First we were taken around the Korean room in the museum. The room was filled with beautiful artifacts and sculptures. We were kindly shown around the room and given information about the various artifacts.

Source: KCCUK

Not only did we see fascinating artifacts but we gained a better understanding of the Korean history: from understanding how Buddhism became more popular in Korea to the armour worn by solders in Korea.

Korean pottery was just amazing. They had a slight wonky-ness to them which showed that the pots had their own 'personality'. Rather than being perfectly designed, the imperfect nature of the vase made them unique.

Almost, one of the most spectacular pieces in the room was the Sarangbang (사랑방), typically used as a scholar's work room in the past. At first I thought SarangBang meant 'Love Room' *awkward* so I was surprised to hear about the actually use of this house. Scholars would often sit outside the room and greet guests while the women in the family would stay indoors.

Sarangbang

KA students with the exhibitor in front of the Sarangbang
Source: KCCUK

 After having a look around the Korean room, we had a quick look at the Samsung room. I had no idea there was a Samsung room in the British Museum so it was great to know that the Korean brand had grown so much

 Then we carried out group tasks. One of them was to see who could complete a jigsaw with the Korean map the fastest. Then we had to draw a campaign poster of a Korean historical building or activity. My group designed a poster about Taekkeyon, a traditional form of martial art.

My groups poster about Taekkeyon

 Overall, it was a lot of fun learning more about the Korean history through the artifacts. I'll definitely be visiting the Korean room more often to see the new pieces~..
To find out more about the Korea room in the British Museum click here or even better, visit it yourself if you get the chance. ^^

KA in front of the British Museum
Source: KCCUK

Check out the video of this weeks class:

Our next class will be the K-Pop Academy graduation ceremony. Oh my goodness, I can't believe  all these weeks have passed by so fast~.. I don't want it to end! T___T


-Tamanna

YG Auditions in London

I just read a post from the Korean Cultural Centre UK announcing that YG London Auditions will take place in the Korean Cultural Centre on the 16th June.

This is great news. It's time for all the UK K-Pop fans to show what talent the UK has~! =P

Check out this video for my information:

So get rehersing guys and showcase your talent on the 16th June. I'll update you when I have more information. =)

K-Pop Academy [Week 10 - Homework]

The focus of this weeks class was the Future of K-Pop. I wasn't actually able to attend this week class (because of protests in my town). Boohoo~! It felt strange staying at home staying at home on a Saturday. But the focus of this weeks class was the future of K-Pop.

So for the homework I chose to do a comic strip of what kind of K-Pop star I would choose if I was a CEO. CEO Sidika, it's got a nice ring to it. Haha. =P

The comic strip tells the story of what happens during the auditions and what the judges look for when selecting contestants.

Here's a closer look at the story:

Contestants are practicng hard in the waiting room

The judges are waiting patiently for the next act. (There's me in the pink top). Haha

The door opens and in walks..

..a contestant who is really pretty..

..but her singing is awful. So regardless of the fact that she is attractive,
which is often a must for K-Pop idols, she gets buzzed off.

The next contestant is doesn't look like a typical, doll-like K-Pop idols..

..however, she has the voice of an angel so you goes through. =)

A geeky boy walks in next. Surprisingly he has amazing b-boying skills and
since I am always amazing by b-boying he easily goes through to the next round.

The last contestant is dressed from top to toe in Indian attire. The judges don't know what to
expect but she has some amazing Bollywood moves..

..so she also goes through.

All in all, my comic strip illustrates that although I understand that beauty is seen as a must in K-Pop, there are other more important factors such as true talent~.. =) Plus, I barely see any ethnic minorities in K-Pop which is understandable since it's such a homogeneous country but a little of colour would be nice. Haha~.. =)

Hope you enjoyed my comic.. ^0^

K-Pop Academy [Week 9 - Homework]

As this week class was focused on noraebang, I decided to do a video of my singing Korean songs. For those who have witnessed my singing during noraebang, you know how terrible my singing is. But I made this video to illustrate how I bug my family with by constantly singing along to K-Pop songs. Here's my video:

Thanks to my family for getting involved and not bring afraid to make themselves look crazy like me. Haha.

Also since I love noraebang so much, I compared my experiences of noraeabang in England to Korea.

England

Korea

All in all, wherever you go, whoever you go with, noraebang is always a blast~! After going the first time, I realised why it was so popuar in Korea. It lets you release stress and sing at the top of your lungs without being afriad that you can't sing.

If you guys haven't been noraebang yet, I really recommend you to try go!

-Tamanna

K-Pop Academy [Week 9]

First off, apologies for the last post. Amidst exam stress, I almost forgot to write this review. Oops~.
The focus of this weeks class was British Pop vs K-Pop. Honestly I haven't listened to Brit-Pop much lately because I've been so absorbed in K-Pop, actually Korean music in general. But as a child I loved British Pop music from Spice Girls to 5ive.

The first half of the class started where we left off last week. We listened to different variations of Arirang. I had heard a few beforehand but I didn't know there were so many different types. We then sang the chorus of Arirang in groups. I am by no means the best singer but I gave it my best shot and it was a lot of fun. 

Then we heard the difference between Brit-Pop and K-Pop over time. When it came to the current music, we all got excited and started singing along.

Lyrics to Arirang

Before the break we were split into groups for the MulChoong Noraebang game for the second half of the class. Each team was given a song. My team was group B so our song was Gee, a catchy energetic hit song by SNSD. The other teams were Bad Girl Good Girl, Black and White and I Need A Girl.

The aim of the game was that each member of the team was given a small section of the lyrics to memorize and then if they made a mistake when singing it, the whole team got wet. It was fun shoting water at the other teams but it wasn't great when I was on the receiving end~.. o__O Haha.

Overall I had an awesome day, as usual~! Thanks KCCUK! ^0^

Here's a short video of what us KA students got up to this week:

K-Pop Academy [Week 8 - Homework]

The focus of this weeks class was traditional Korean music. Since I've heard Arirang (아리랑) a couple of times before, I decided to research about it for this weeks homework.

When I first read the lyrics, I thought it was a simply sad song about a woman losing her love but the more I researched about it, understood the true meaning of the song. This song is used to express the feeling of Korean sorrow and oppression (한) as well as bringing people together and trying to lift the spirits of the nation.

Therefore, I attempted to do a storyboard about Arirang.  It was pretty big so it took a while to stick up but here's the finished product. (It's surprising how much time I spent on this when I'm meant to studying for my last year uni exams. Yikes~!)

Story board about Arirang

Posing with the big storyboard

Additionally, I was fascinated by the Korean fusion songs I heard in class so I attempted to make one myself by combining the traditional Arirang song with Poison Gas (독기) by LeeSsang (리쌍). As the lyrics of Poison Gas also express the feeling of hardship and trying to overcome difficult obstacles in life, I thought it would go well with the meaning of Arirang.

The English translation of the song is:

Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo

Arirang over the hill we go

(from Arirang)

I get up from this life that is like a ditch

I live by achieving what I want

I go up more more more, go up

(from Poison Gas)

I used the storyboard in the video to illustrate the story told in the Arirang song. This is my first ever attempt at mixing a song so I hope you guys like it~! ^^

-Tamanna

K-Pop Academy [Week 8]

The topic for this weeks class was traditional Korean music. Since we all love K-Pop, learning about the roots of Korean music gives us an insight into how K-Pop might have came about.  As we entered the lecture room there was a traditional Korean instrument in the middle of the room so I was intrigued to find out more.

First, we were given a lecture by Dr Keith Howard, a lecturer at SOAS university. He talked us through the change in Korean music over time. The oldest piece of Korean music was made in 1116 so listening to how the music evolved was great. Some of the instruments played in the earlier pieces actually reminded me of the Bangladeshi music.

After hearing samples of Korean music, we had the chance to hear it being played live by Jung JiEun. She played us 5 pieces: Sanjo, Shimhyangmu, Daraji variations, Arirang and Amazing Arace. She played the Gayageum so effortlessly and beautifully. It made me want to learn, even though I am awful at playing instruments.

During the second half of the lesson, we had the chance to play Korean instruments ourselves. Yay!
We were taught to play Sameulnori which is played using 4 different instruments: the Kkwanggwai, Ching, Changgo and the Puk. All these instruments together create a wonderful fusion of sounds. So the K-Pop Academy became the K-Pop orchestra as we were taught by Nami Morrisght how to play the instruments.

The Changgo

We were each asked which instrument we want to play and then shown how to play it properly.  Initially I was playing the Kkwaengari which was pretty simple to play. But I thought I'd be creative and switch to the Changgo. Then we had to play a simple song. Well I say simple, but I started to get a little confused with the rhythm after a while but I had a lot of fun.

K-Pop Academy students eager to play the instruments

Overall, it was another awesome day. I learnt a lot about Korean music and it was nice to hear someone play it live as well as learn a bit myself.

I complied bits of footage from this weeks class to give you guys a taster of what we get up to in class and during our breaks so check it out. ^^