Garden of Imagination

Artists: Hwang Suro, Kim Ahyeon, Kim Myeongbeom, Kown Hyewon, Lee Yeseung, Lee Yongbae×SUNG Jongsang, Jinie Seo, Shin Hyewoo, Yun Suknam

Deoksugung Palace is one of five royal palaces remaining in Seoul. Despite its distinct placeness as “the palace of the Korean Empire (1897–1910)” or “the palace of Emperor Gojong,” Deoksugung Palace in reality has continually transformed itself over time along political and social changes. Before it became the palace of the Korean Empire, the site was once a private residence of one of Joseon’s royal family, and became a temporary palace for the king during the Imjin War in the late 16th century. After the Empire’s end, the palace was converted into a public park under Japanese colonial rule, and in 1963 after Korea’s liberation, it was designated a historical site and has been preserved to this day. These transfigurations are fully reflected in Deoksugung gardens, in particular, the western-style garden located in front of Seokjojeon in a geometric style. While Gyeongbokgung, the main palace of the Joseon dynasty, was built from the beginning of the capital Hanyang (Seoul) based on feng shui principles, or geomancy, and through the traditional East Asian process of building the capital first and situating palaces, Deoksugung was constructed about 500 years after the foundation of Joseon at the center of the city that already went through some urbanization. Therefore, its geographic condition as well as the spatial layout including gardens are distinguished from those of previous examples. This fourth Deoksugung Project takes the “garden” as a medium in retrieving Deoksugung’s times past and reminding oneself of its value in today’s world.

In dictionaries, “garden” is often defined as “a plot of ground inside a house where small plants and flowers are cultivated.” In a broader view, however, it can be described as a “man-made nature” or “second nature.” In this way, the garden, among all things that are created by man, could be described as the best medium that connects man and nature. Furthermore, it is also a total embodiment of human values and spirit of the times on nature and culture. In the West, the emergence of civil society and the rise of the idea on public in the 18th century led to a decline in previous garden culture. Instead, a novel trend of parks began to spread. A park, or a public garden so to speak, is a “modern invention” which premises upon a politically democratic society. In non-Western cultures where the term “Westernization” has long been synonymous with “modernization,” the concept of “park” has often been perceived as one of many devices of civilization. And in this context, western-style parks began to be introduced when these cultures opened up their ports to foreign trade. Nevertheless, the period of “modern” often unavoidably overlaps with that of “colonization,” conjuring up a more negative image. And the same applies for parks. Therefore, in discussing the Deoksugung garden one must consider the ambiguity of Korea’s modernity, because Japanese colonial authority coercively converted Deoksugung and other royal palaces of the Joseon dynasty into public parks and instilled their park culture.

The title of the project, “Garden of Imagination,” was inspired by the late Joseon dynasty’s culture of “uiwon (意園),” or a garden of one’s mind. The literati of the 18th and the 19th century Joseon dynasty cultivated their own “garden in imagination” where they could express and enjoy elegant tastes at their will without any external restrictions. With a contemporary uiwon in mind, participating artists the project contemplate on the garden’s history, philosophy, and practices in order to create their own garden of various focuses and possibilities.