As part of the celebrations for th 140th anniversary of UK-Korea diplomatic relations, a Korean digital media showcase "The Oulim in London" was opened at the Saatchi gallery in London between Oct 28th - Nov 5th. The showcase was supported by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), and the Korean Cultural Centre in the UK (KCCUK).
The showcase was split into six sections. The first portion included a white room encapsulated in short videos from various Korean digital companies such as PoSTMEDIA, VERSEDAY, and dotmill, using graphics and music to create artistic visual expereiences.
The next segment focused on virtual experiences, such as the usage of VR and the metaverse - all while minimising motion sickness! PoSTMEDIA appeared again with "Dani: The Portrait of a Beauty" - a virtual experience of the Joseon dynasty through the VR exploration of paintings by traditional painter from the era; Shin Yun-Bok. A stand held by GiiÖii - who specialises in VR - contained 3 different experiences; "Ihyangjeong: Carving with Memories", "Missing Pictures Ep 4 & 5", and "Beodeureun" which each explored ancient stories, documentaries, and music all through the usage of Virtual Reality. The next VR experience was by VENTA VR who showcased virtual K-Pop concerts such as Dreamcatcher: The Curse of the Spider. Similarly, PICO also showcased VR idol performances - such as (G)I-DLE's Oh My God - as well as a few games such as VR fishing, or sports. In terms of gaming, Com2Us ROCA showcased the virtual gameplay of the game DARKSWORD: BATTLE ETERNITY - a dark fantasy RPG played through a virtual headset! Another fun experience was the series of traditional masks with headsets attached by The2H which played a series of musical numbers once put on, as well as LOCUS-X who took advantage of the digital space with virtual influencers and digital fashion - such as the hanbok collaboration with ILONA SONG!
The next part of the showcase focused on Korea's global influence featuring well-known companies such as HYBE, DALCOM Soft with the SUPERSTAR game series, and ASTORY - who teamed up with The Sandbox Korea to bring the world of popular K-Drama Extraordinary Attorney Woo to the Metaverse! Visitors could explore the virtual world, as well as pick up photo cards and other goodies from Nemoz Lab and KOOKY! This section of the exhibition ended with a large screen concert experience of BTS PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE - LAS VEGAS.
The fifth segment labelled "Creative Fusion" blended together art and technology - where guests could design their own digital shirts or create magazine covers of their own avatars with AIVAR, capture their movements using AI with Plask, or score their dance moves to their favourite K-Pop songs with SUPIA MEDIA. Guests could also try composing their own music with the MUSIA One service from Creativemind, or recreate their favourite music with Neutune!
The final segment mirrored the first, with another plain room featuring short video experiences from a number of companies and organisations such as VERSEDAY, d'strict, CUZ, National Museum of Korea, KALLOS, National Gugak Centre, PoSTMEDIA, and VOOSTON.
Overall, the exhibit was an interesting amalgamation of present and upcoming technology in Korean entertainment, as well as their contribution to the general art sphere. After witnessing some of these up-and-coming companies and organisations, and what they have to offer, it could be said that the future of art and entertainment is sure to take a fascinating turn as we enter a new digital age.
If you haven't checked out the exhibit yet, be sure to swing by. If not, keep your eyes peeled and follow KpopWise for more!