Arts & Performance
Celadons - a type of porcelains with green glaze had their golden time in the Koryo Dynasty of Korea during 12th Century, and a creative method was developed and used in making celadons by Koreans at that time. This flying-dragon like jug is the 61st National Treasure.
This statue, the 83rd National Treasure, was made in early 7th Century during the Shilla Dynasty - one of the old dynasties in Korea. It is evaluated as one of best Buddha statue made in Asia at that time.
It is a court ritual music. Ancestral Worship music (court ritual music) includes two musical pieces of Jeongdaeeop("to establish the great work") and Botaepyeong("to preserve the peace"). The music is performed using Chinese-derived, and native musical instruments. The musical instruments are arranged in two parts in accordance with the yin and yang philosophy. One is arranged on the terrace and the other is under the terrace (Source: Hanstyle).
Buchaechum is a traditional form of Korean dance also called a fan dance, usually performed by groups of female dancers. Many Koreans use this dance during many celebrations (Source: Wikipedia).
Tightrope walking (or funambulism) is the art of walking along a thin wire or rope, usually at a great height. One or more artists perform in front of an audience (Source: Wikipedia).
The Hahoetal set (The National Treasure No. 121) is 800 years old, the oldest mask set (nine masks) in Korea. Hahoe byelosingut talnori (special ritual drama to the gods) is a Korean masked dance-drama performed every three, five, or ten years at the request of the village deity. The village is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the dance-drama is an Important Intangible Cultural Property in Korea (Source: Wikipedia).
It is a vocal and percussional music performed by one sorikkun (singer) and one gosu (drummer). The term pansori is derived from pan (a place where many people gather), and sori (sound). A popular form in Korea during the 19th century, pansori featured satires and love stories. A full story, madang is so long that it usually takes hours to complete (Source: Wikipedia).
It is a Korean folk music tradition that includes drumming, dancing, and singing. Most performances are outside, with tens of players, all in constant motion. Pungmul is rooted in the dure (collective labor) farming culture. It was originally played as part of farm work, on rural holidays, at other village community-building events, and in shamanistic rituals (Source: Wikipedia).
The Seoul Arts Center, literally the Hall of Arts, is a cultural center in the southern area of Seoul. Measuring in 12,0350 m², it consists of many different halls and centers for many diverse art forms. It began construction in 1984, and opened all its doors in 1993. It consists of the main Festival Hall, Calligraphy Hall, Music Hall, Arts Center, Center of Archives, Education Hall which are all housed indoors, and the Circular Plaza, Street of Meetings, and more (Source: Wikipedia).
This is a video art, created by Namjun Paik, a Korean American artist (July 20, 1932 – January 29, 2006). He worked with a variety of media and is considered to be the first video artist. Dadaikson (meaning "the more, the better") was created in 1988, consisting of 1003 TV monitors. Now it is displayed at National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea (Source: Wikipedia).
Myung-whun Chung (born in 1953), an icon of current classical music in Korea, is a pianist and conductor. He has conducted virtually all the prominent European and American orchestras. From 1989 to 1994, Chung served as the Music Director of the Paris Opera. He opened the inaugural season at the new Opéra Bastille with Berlioz's complete Les Troyens and received highly praised reviews from the music circle (Source: Wikipedia).
Gangnam Style is a single by South Korean rapper Psy. As of October 9, 2012, the music video has been viewed over 414 million times on YouTube. It ranked no. 2 in the Billboard Hot 100 on October 8, 2012. Psy has brought the "Gangnam Style" dance to various locations including The Today Show, Saturday Night Live, Dodger Stadium, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and others.