Seoul Design Olympiad 2008

In this Seoul Design Olympiad 2008 exhibit, exciting projects like the revamped Gwanghwamun Square are highlighted.

From now until October 30th, the Jamsil Olympic Stadium is playing host to the Seoul Design Olympiad 2008. Here’s the intro blurb provided by the Seoul Metropolitan Government:

Seoul Design Olympiad 2008 (SDO) is an international design festival held by Seoul City aimed at showing the important role design plays in improving the quality of people’s lives. The Olympiad will also serve to highlight Seoul’s recent designation as a World Design Capital (WDC 2010), showcasing the way Seoul uses design to make its society better.

In an outdoors exhibit created with help from Hongik University students, guests are encouraged to participate in the art. This was an especially comfortable selection.

A friend and I checked the Olympiad out last week and enjoyed ourselves. The huge stadium was an awkward venue, with the main exhibits on the central field among the least interesting. If you go, be sure to visit the exhibits located within the stadium. Highlights include a well-done presentation highlighting Seoul’s attempts to become more design friendly and a user-directed virtual tour of the city.

The Design Olympiad is part of the run-up to the 2010 unveiling of the Dongdaemun World Design Plaza and Park, which will mark Seoul’s designation as a World Design Capital.

Here’s an English-language article about the Olympiad that ran in today’s JoongAng Daily. The official Web site is here.

Getting There:
→ Seoul Design Olympiad 2008: Take subway line 2 to Jamsil Station (exit #4). The Olympiad is free except for the Zaha Hadid/Patrick Schumacher exhibit. The Olympiad closes its doors on October 30.