Sue Kim
Seoul Shift
A multi-functional social space inspired by Korean culture.
Seoul Shift is a multi-functional social space inspired by Korean nightlife and the concept of a 포장마차 (Po-Jang-ma-cha), which has been designed in hopes of creating a positive shift in the way in which the large Korean community living within Auckland is represented to the New Zealand public. As a bar/exhibition space, Seoul Shift will collaborate with various Korean - NZ artists and businesses, acting as a platform to represent the diversity within Aotearoa's art crowd and the ever-growing Korean community within New Zealand. The space will actively explore and challenge the boundaries between public and private, as well as the cultural crossovers and differences between South Korea and Aotearoa, which affects both spatial properties and human behaviours. Revealing a whole new narrative and interpretation of social entertainment, Seoul Shift will act as a smooth transition for the New Zealand public to experience the culture and essence of Seoul, essentially acting as a solid container with an uncontainable interior within.
A large Korean community lives within Auckland, and as an aspiring designer and second-generation immigrant, I carry the privilege and responsibility of creating a shift in how we are represented to the New Zealand public. Inspired by Korean nightlife and the concept of a 포장마차 (Po-Jang-ma-cha), I aim to revive Imperial Lane into the “warm, convivial and authentic” social space it was originally intended to become by proposing Seoul Shift - A multi-functional social space inspired by Korean culture which acts as an bar and exhibition space.
Seoul Shift will collaborate with a variety of South Korean artists and businesses, acting as a platform to represent the diversity within Aotearoa’s art crowd, as well as the ever-growing Korean community within New Zealand. The works of multidisciplinary South Korean artists; Shin Young Park, Joon-Hee Park, and Hye Rim Lee will be showcased, along with commission work explicitly made for Seoul Shift. Korean soul food and drinks will be catered by 옥희 (Ock-Hee), a charming Korean eatery located in Ponsonby Road, devoted to sharing authentic Korean flavours in a remarkably relatable way. These Korean - New Zealanders have all made their own unique journeys to Aotearoa, actively challenging, exploring and sharing cultural crossovers to the public. Seoul Shift will enhance this ongoing mission, introducing new characters, relationships, and scripts into the social scene.
The existing site of Imperial and Fort Lane is both heavy and dense, providing a solid foundation to act as a backdrop for the softer and more delicate atmospheric narratives my sequence of spatial experiences brings to the site. Imperial Lane will become a solid container with an uncontainable interior within.
As you wander through the interior, art floats around you suspended from the ceilings and walls - blending gallery into restaurant and restaurant into gallery. There is a subtle mix between old and new with extended framing of the existing site, symbolizing the Korean community’s gradual yet permanent settling within Aotearoa. The repetitive use of symmetrical shapes within the interior mimics the act of framing within cinematography – drawing the viewers’ attention to subtle details they may have previously missed. The physical and atmospheric qualities of the space have also been heavily influenced by the Korean concept of Pojangmacha’s which play a vital part in Korean nightlife; directly translating to 포장 (Po-Jang) - “to go” and/or “packaged”, 마차 (Ma-cha) - carriage, which are mobile kitchens commonly found scattered throughout the busy streets of Seoul.
Pojangmacha’s are modest, concentrated, safe spaces where the public can walk in, pass, eat, chat, drink and enjoy the evening. This aligned with the characteristics of Imperial Lane - an intimate and private space within one of the busiest and open areas of Auckland CBD. Both offer the opportunity to explore and challenge the boundaries between public and private as well as Western and Asian dining styles, which affect both spatial properties and human behavior’s. Seoul Shift reveals a whole new narrative and interpretation of social entertainment, further acting as a smooth transition for the New Zealand public to experience the culture of Seoul.
