Seodaemun-gu Hosts Photo Exhibition at Community and Cultural Platform Utilizing Idle Spaces

From 18th to 30th at Workshop Cheonyeonjeong, held under the theme 'Recent Old Days in Seoul, Cheonyeon Chunghyeon'... Expected to create a model for urban regeneration through utilizing idle spaces as local community and cultural spaces

The appearance of 'Gongbang Cheonyeonjeong,' where a photo exhibition capturing the atmosphere of Cheonyeon and Chunghyeon-dong in Seodaemun-gu will be held

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Moon Seok-jin) is attracting attention by transforming the idle space of the Daedong Munhwasa building (Tongillo 9-gil 6-12) into a community and cultural complex space.

Earlier, after a recruitment announcement and screening, last month the ‘Cheonyeon Chunghyeon Village Cooperative’ composed of local residents including members of the Cheonyeon Chunghyeon Urban Regeneration Residents’ Council and the preliminary social enterprise ‘Baekjijang’ were selected as the operating teams for this space.

The Cheonyeon-dong Urban Regeneration Complex Center is scheduled to be established here, and these two teams will carry out various projects using three existing buildings within the 1,050㎡ site until the center’s construction begins.

Baekjijang is creating two of these buildings under the names inspired by the original building names: ‘Baekjijang Seodaemun Daedong Printing’ and ‘Baekjijang Seodaemun Empty Residence,’ attracting activists to conduct various meetings, lectures, exhibitions, performances, filming, and flea markets.

Additionally, focusing on the food alley near Seodaemun Station, they plan to provide various local contents online, hold youth and young adult gatherings, and carry out projects to revitalize the community by offering local jobs.

The Cheonyeon Chunghyeon Village Cooperative operates ‘Workshop Cheonyeonjeong’ in one building, reflecting the regional characteristics of Cheonyeon Chunghyeon-dong, where many low-rise houses are distributed, by providing woodworking education and tool rentals so residents can perform simple home repairs and improve alley environments.

Furthermore, they are preparing various community activities such as leather crafts, French embroidery, flea markets, and RE&Upcycle programs.

In particular, at the newly transformed Workshop Cheonyeonjeong, a photo exhibition titled ‘These Days Old in Seoul, Cheonyeon Chunghyeon’ will be held for about two weeks from the 18th to the 31st of this month, capturing the atmosphere of Cheonyeon Chunghyeon-dong through the perspectives of five photographers.

This exhibition features over 40 works photographed over four months by the team Su(燧)mera (lead proposer Gu Eon-mo), selected in April this year through the Cheonyeon Chunghyeon Urban Regeneration Residents’ Public Contest Project, under five themes: ▲traces of history layered over time ▲residential architecture of Cheonyeon Chunghyeon-dong ▲Tteok Alley ▲Yeongcheon Market ▲people of Cheonyeon Chunghyeon.

Moon Seok-jin, Mayor of Seodaemun-gu, said, “I hope that various creative items will breathe new vitality into the region, and especially through resident-participatory living culture archive activities like this exhibition, I expect that diverse historical and cultural contents of the area will be discovered and recorded, forming a foundation for branding Cheonyeon Chunghyeon-dong.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.