“A park with history, a space with a twist in the city”
Seosomun Shrine History Museum, a green space in the city center with a variety of trees, is in fact the largest Christian martyrdom shrine in Korea. Because it was designed to engrave the pain of the martyrs into the ground, the buildings are not exposed, making it look like a peaceful park.
We need to think more about what it means to engrave intaglio. This is because it is the core concept that penetrates the design intention of this building. As you know, intaglio is a printmaking technique that involves cutting grooves with a carving knife. The architect designed each major space as if it were carved with a carving knife, engraving the wounds, pain, and agony of the martyrs.
The concept of ‘pilgrimage’ was implemented in a modern way by connecting various excavation spaces with a flow path. It was designed so that visitors could experience the space over time and sequentially reflect on the meaning of the memorial.
The reason why most of the finishing materials, including the Silent Square, were planned to be red bricks is to emphasize the meaning of the memorial space. The red soil symbolizes the blood and sacrifice of martyrs.
Also, something to pay attention to along with materials is how the architect uses light. The method of continuously contrasting light and darkness shows details as if light and darkness (shadows) were controled in an empty space.
As you can see in the photo, the experience of contrasting light and darkness is dramatic enough to make even people who are not familiar with the meaning of religion feel pious.
The sky road symbolizes sprouting under the light. This path allows you to escape the dark underground and naturally ascend to the surface. It seems like slowly sprouting from a dark space to a bright space.
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By following the route planned by the architect and experiencing the entire sequence from the park to the Silent Square, you can have a dramatic spatial experience (various volumes, light and darkness, space, etc.) as if you were watching a movie.
The attempt to convey meaning through the audience's dynamic movements rather than depicting the building can be known from how carefully the architect considered this project. Regardless of your religion, I recommend that you visit at least once and experience for yourself the path of martyrdom drawn by the architect.
It is a rare masterpiece amidst a flood of buildings just for show. (A must-visit place if you are interested in Korean modern architecture)
*Seosomun Shrine History Museum (https://www.seosomun.org/main.do)
* Seunghyeon Yoon (Interkerd Architects, https://interkerd.com/)
Seunghyeon Yoon, who led the project, won in the Seosomun Historic Site Design Competition (2014), which was the biggest issue in the korean architectural field at the time, and received attention.
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