Cultural Outings In Ulsan (!)

Today as I was riding home in a taxi along the Taehwa river, I noticed a giant plastic bubble floating in the middle of the river. I was so intrigued by this very unusual sight that when I went over to my friend Brandon's apartment later I suggested we walk down the riverbank path to check it out. Sure enough, the giant bubble was part of the "Taehwa-river Eco Art Festival," a group of sculptures by Korean modern artists and Ulsan University art students arranged in one of the many parks along the river. Besides the "Water Pavilion" there were nine other sculptures, all fascinating. I especially liked "Meul-e Nugak," a sort of house constructed out of glass jars filled with water, which gives it an interesting effect when hit by the floodlights at night. There were also some fish constructed from pieces of compact discs ("Recurrence"), a boat made out of giant pencils ("Drawing"), a sculpture of a child drinking the river water from a long, blue straw (aptly titled "A Child Drinking Taehwa River"), a maze of screen-printed and painted tapestries ("Suda"), an arrangement of reflective jigsaw puzzle pieces, some with photos of city life in Ulsan ("Koong!), a giant armchair made of grass and sticks ("Rest"), painted balls with butterfly wings suspended high in the air ("The Wings of Icarus"), and a tower of wooden rods with giant ball-bearings trapped inside ("Neo-Genesis"). It was a real surprise for me to see modern art in Ulsan, where there is usually a dearth of anything remotely cultural. Brandon and I were approached by the organizers of the exhibition, two art professors at Ulsan University, who shared my dissatisfaction with the state of art in the city. I hope that this is the beginning of a trend to bring more cultural opportunities to Ulsan. Here are some of the pictures I took: