"Dull Spaces Transformed into Art Venues"... 50 Locations Changed through Seocho Urban Canvas Project

Improvement of Seomun Girls' High School Front and Seocho 1 Elementary School

Seocho-gu, Seoul (Mayor Jeon Seong-su) announced on the 21st that it is gaining residents' support through the 'Seocho Urban Canvas' project, which transforms dark and desolate urban idle spaces into artistic spaces.

Started in 2016, the 'Seocho Urban Canvas' project transforms old or neglected areas within the community, such as alley retaining walls, school fences, and underpasses, into artistic spaces to eliminate safety blind spots and create an urban gallery that provides enjoyment and visual attractions.

Recently, the district evaluated five criteria (15 indicators) including safety, walkability, and aesthetics among many requested locations by residents, selecting two final sites and renovating them into new urban canvases.

The selected sites are the approximately 400-meter section of retaining walls and stairs in front of Seomun Girls' High School (Bangbae-dong, Seocho-gu) and under Seocho 1 Bridge (Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu), where design directions and expression techniques suited to the local characteristics were applied to give differentiated themes.

For the 400-meter section of retaining walls and stairs in front of Seomun Girls' High School, facility maintenance work was prioritized to ensure residents can walk safely, and objets that provide harmonious colors and focal points with the surroundings were installed on the previously monotonous retaining walls.

Seocho 1 Bridge, which was dark and gloomy under the bridge, was transformed into a pleasant atmosphere by harmoniously combining continuous panel-shaped sculptures, floor patterns, and artificial turf. At night, LED indirect lighting illuminates the panel sculptures and the underside of the bridge, improving the space into a bright and warm area.

The district conducted a survey of about 200 residents passing through the two locations, reporting a high response with a resident satisfaction rate of 94%, and high satisfaction with the design and artistic aspects.

From 2016 to last year, the district transformed a total of 50 locations into urban canvases. This year, Umyeon Bridge (Umyeon-dong, Seocho-gu) will be improved and unveiled as part of the Urban Canvas project.