Project trip "Sewoon Sangga"

This trip is a project trip that started in 2018 to archive Sewoon Shopping Center and Euljiro area facing redevelopment.

Sewoon Shopping Center is Korea's first mixed-use shopping mall built in 1968. It is a symbolic building representing Korea's resurgence after the Korean War, and was a largest project led by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. The sight of eight buildings lined up in a row from Jongmyo Shrine to Namsan Mountain was overwhelming to the people at the time.

Designed by Kim Swoo-geun, a first-generation Korean architect, Sewoon Shopping Center is also an important building in Korean architectural history. It was Korea's first mixed-use building and the most luxurious department store and apartment in Korea. It was as a landmark and economic and cultural center of Seoul for decades. Various industries gathered around Sewoon Shopping Center.

However, as Korea's rapid growth and time passed, Sewoon Shopping Center lost its vitality and is facing redevelopment. The area that represents the era of the Miracle on the Han River is now old and destined to disappear.

Korea has grown rapidly, but it is still lacking in preserving the history of the modern and contemporary era since the Korean War. Many historical buildings and areas are easily destroyed and redeveloped.

Video artist Hyonuuk(Q), who worked on an art project in the redevelopment area of Ahyeon-dong, Seoul, has continued the project in the Sewoon Shopping Center and Euljiro area. He decided to go beyond simple archiving and show people how the area would disappear. He believed that if he could do that, even if Sewoon Shopping Center disappears, he could create a community of memories with people and archive the area.

Since 2018, thousands of people from all over the world have traveled to Sewoon Shopping Center, Euljiro, and Cheonggyecheon through Hidden Look Seoul trip. They have watched how old Seoul disappears and changes.

Seven years have passed, and the area around Sewoon Shopping Center continues to undergo redevelopment. The old lighting shopping area has now been turned into fancy apartments and hotels. The alley where watchmakers used to gather has also disappeared. A high-rise building is scheduled to be built there.

However, the Sewoon Shopping Center is still there, and there are still old buildings and people, so the Hidden Look Seoul trip is also ongoing. Many people from all over the world continue to visit this place, see it, and take photos and videos. Everyone who participates in this trip becomes a member of this long-term art project.