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| A poster for the exhibition, "Korea: Cubically Imagined" / Courtesy of KOCCA |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
"Korea: Cubically Imagined," an immersive exhibition that offers a glimpse into the film set of the Oscar-winning film "Parasite" and BTS's concert stage, will be held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.
Co-hosted by UNESCO and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the exhibition will allow visitors to engage in a virtual reality experience while exploring Korea's contemporary culture.
The purpose of the event is to celebrate the U.N.-designated international year of the creative economy and mark the 71st anniversary of Korea's accession to UNESCO, according to the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA).
The exhibition will be divided into three sections ― the Korean Wave, Art and Cultural Heritage and Studio. The first part will present an immersive extended reality (XR) experience that enables visitors to use VR gear and stand before a three-wall LED stage to explore the backgrounds of BTS's "Dope" and "DNA" music videos.
"Parasite" will also be presented in a similar setting inside a cube, in which visitors can use VR devices to visit the film's memorable sets, including the wealthy Park family's living room and the poor Kim family's half-basement flat.
The second part will provide space to explore Korea's history, language, traditional music and performances. "The Royal Procession with the People" as well as other pieces of cultural heritage will also be on display, reimagined from the National Museum of Korea using the latest immersive technology.
The third section of the exhibit will showcase the country's iconic immersive content. For instance, the Seoul-based spatial UX design company d'strict will present iterations of "Beach," "Wave" and "Flower."
Ernesto Ottone Ramirez, UNESCO's assistant director-general for culture, said the exhibition will show the importance of culture and creativity for sustainable development in the COVID-19 era.
During the closing speech at the 8th Conference of Parties to the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, he said that the VR exhibition of "Parasite" and BTS's concert will connect with viewers around the world and commemorate the International Year of Creative Economy.
"We hope our immersive content, which capture imagination from films, music and contemporary art, will provide comfort and hope to people around the world who are experiencing unprecedented challenges due to COVID-19," a KOCCA official said.
The exhibition will run from July 6 to 16 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, and will reopen at the Korean Culture Center in Paris on July 20 for a month.
Reservations for in-person visits will be available on the website starting June 14.
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