Sewoon Sangga Artisans-Young Designers Collaborative Products Commercialized Through Crowdfunding

by Jo Inkyung

Published 08 Jan.2021 08:00(KST)

Seoul City Unveils 5 Prototypes Combining High-Skilled Printing Techniques with Youth Ideas

The "Memory Brokerage Notes" is a set of three diaries designed with themes based on industries commonly seen around Seun Sangga and Euljiro, such as arcade machines, computers, and audio equipment. It includes diaries inspired by childhood memories like picture diaries, dictation, and daily planners, as well as sticker books, stencils, and design tapes.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Seoul City announced on the 8th that it has launched five products created by combining the skilled techniques of printing artisans in the Sewoon Shopping Center area with the creative ideas and stylish designs of young designers, through citizen investment (crowdfunding).

The five products introduced this time are ▲ a kit to make paper toys of representative transportation devices in the printing alley such as a tripod and forklift (Rolling Printing Alley) ▲ a disposable film camera with a stylish design and a photo postcard book of the Sewoon Shopping Center alleys (Exploring Sewoon Shopping Center Alleys) ▲ a flowerpot recycled from discarded ink containers used in printing shops (Inket×Plant kit) ▲ a set of three diaries designed with the theme of the Sewoon Shopping Center area (Memory Brokerage Notes) ▲ and a postcard collection designed with sounds and objects from the Sewoon Shopping Center area (Fragment Collection).

All products embody the identity or characteristics unique to the Sewoon Shopping Center area and were produced through the same processes of output, printing, bookbinding, and finishing as products made in the printing alley.

This project was promoted as part of an urban regeneration project under the theme "Commemorating the Sewoon Shopping Center." It is the first case of collaboration between printing artisans and young people following urban manufacturing.

In September last year, Seoul City held a contest called "Let's Make It in Sewoon_Sewoon Souvenirs," selecting 13 young designers and matching them with local printing planners to support the production of five prototypes. Over three months, the young designers experienced the printing industry system in the area while realizing their ideas into products using printing technologies in the Sewoon Shopping Center area.

The five prototypes created this way will be commercialized and sold if they reach a certain funding goal for each product on the official website of the crowdfunding platform company "Tumblbug" by the 1st of next month.