Seoul City Hosts 'Ecocultural Festival' Embracing Nature and Community in the COVID Era

'2021 Ecocultural Festival: Far Yet Close' Held for 2 Days on 29-30 at Munhwa Bichuk Base
Citizen Participation Programs Including Performances, Workshops, and Discussions on 'Disability, Women, Labor, and Seniors'

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Cultural Storage Base announced on the 24th that it will hold the citizen participation type ‘2021 Ecological Culture Festival’ under the theme ‘Far away but also close’ for two days from the 29th to the 30th, where people can empathize with nature and neighbors and comfort each other in the COVID-19 era.

This festival consists of four citizen participation programs including performances, workshops, and discussions viewed from the perspectives of disability, women, labor, and seniors, as well as various on-site participation programs such as a media facade exhibition and sound art performances that reflect on the climate crisis and human life, and a citizen story video exhibition.

The citizen participation programs are composed of the process of empathizing with others and the world through ‘Moving (walking·speed)’, ‘Talking (listening·conversation·discussion)’, and ‘Sharing memories (technical ecology·transmission)’, operated through performances, workshops, and discussions, and participation is possible through advance reservation on the Cultural Storage Base blog.

Outdoor programs that can be viewed on-site without advance reservation will also be held. ‘The Cosmic Circle’ by artist Bailey Hong, held on the T2 outdoor stage, and the media facade exhibition ‘How Are You?’ by artist Yang Young-shin projected on the outer wall of the T6 tank, are expected to provide a unique spatial experience in the park in the early evening.

At the T4 complex cultural space, visitors can watch a video exhibition containing ‘Stories of citizens living through COVID-19’ from 1 PM to 8 PM throughout the festival period.

Nam Gil-soon, head of the Western Park Greenery Project Office, said, “By composing the stories of the festival through citizens’ participation conducted non-face-to-face in the COVID-19 era, we were able to look back on the times of 2020 and 2021 that we all experienced,” and added, “Through this festival, it is necessary to have a sense of solidarity that empathizes with and comforts each other’s pain in difficult times, and parks where natural ecosystems coexist are the best places to comfort and heal citizens. We will do our best to operate the festival in a pleasant environment by strictly adhering to COVID-19 quarantine guidelines.”

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