"Don't you want to make a getaway from your daily routines at least once a year If you are a stressed-out city dweller living a repetitive life in a packed city, please come to Hi Seoul Festival. Hi Seoul Festival will give you the opportunity to relish your freedom to the fullest and make you the life of the party."
To catch a glimpse of Hi Seoul Festival, Korea IT Times interviewed Kim, Young-ho, Festival & Cultural Project Director, who has been working day and night in the run-up to the 2010 Hi Seoul Festival, scheduled to be held in October of this year.
Director Kim said, "The Red Devil waves that colored the entire nation red during the Korea-Japan World Cup 2002 were led by voluntary participation from Korean citizens. To sustain that kind of festive fever, the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture (SAFC) held the first Hi Seoul Festival in 2003 around Seoul Plaza under the slogan of Hi Seoul. At the moment, we are making preparations for Hi Seoul Festival 2010, which will make Seoul citizens' passion known to the rest of the world."
"The 8th Hi Seoul Festival will be held along the Han River on October 1st through 10th and its theme is "nonverbal". The theme "nonverbal" indicates that Hi Seoul Festival will be relatable and open to anyone regardless of race, language or generation. Nonverbal performances use body movements, sounds, rhythms and beats that anyone can relate to and easily understand regardless of their race or language. Based on nonverbal communications, Hi Seoul Festival 2010 will evolve into a global festival that can give foreign visitors to Seoul a taste of diverse cultures and freedom," explained Director Kim.
Hi Seoul Festival 2010 will be held along the Han River.
"Hi Seoul Festival is of great significance in terms of allowing city dwellers to make a gateway. Seoul citizens who live on a tight, cut and dry schedule at companies, homes and schools are given the opportunity to let off steam, bask in freedom and deviate from their daily routines once a year. People are encouraged to indulge themselves during the Hi Seoul Festival. Some naysayers shrug their shoulders, saying it is not the right time to throw a big party because the economy is bad. We believe that they make such comments because they have never been fully involved in a festival. Festivals make each and every participant a hero and create so much energy and synergy, thereby benefitting the economy. We still remember that the huge enthusiasm and energy created during the World Cup 2002 translated into a tremendous amount of economic synergy. Also, we are aware of the fact that Hi Seoul Festival 2009, where approximately KRW 3 billion was invested, brought about economic benefits worth KRW 30 billion", said Director Kim.
He went on to say, "Global festivals like the Mayor's Thames Festival in London and Paris Plage Party are held along rivers. And as festival centers, rivers create a trend in which arts and culture can be widely shared based on the rivers' amenities and spaces for relaxation and leisure sports. Just like the aforementioned global festivals, Hi Seoul Festival revolves around the Han River parks that stretch from northern parts of Seoul to southern parts such as Yeouido, Banpo and Seonyu Island. We have built four large Big Top Villages and are working on a nonverbal landmark where 200 nonverbal performances will be put on. On October 1st, tons of Seoul citizens are projected to descend on the Han River to take part in Hi Seoul Festival 2010."
A variety of Hi Seoul Festival programs draws direct participation from citizens
To craft meaningful festival programs such as the Mayor's Thames Festival's "Parade for the homeless" and "Parades of keepers of the North Pole's glaciers", the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture (SAFC) has recruited a total of 2,000 citizens to prepare for the following programs: 'Eco Market" (to be held on vehicle-free submerged bridges; "Good Consumption Campaign Good Buy"(sponsored by Good Neighbors); "the Ttukseom Flea Market" (sponsored by Beautiful Store); and nonverbal performances (e.g. " Oh! Everbody", "Nonverbal Open Contest 2010" and "Nonverbal Experience Program 2010"). "Like Thailand's Water Festival and Japan's Fire Festival, Hi Seoul Festival's program lineup is designed to project Seoul as a fun-loving city. And we are making a lot of preparations to draw more participation from citizens and provide more diverse programs than ever before," he said.
Nonverbal Open Contest 2010 is a contest that provides a stage to anyone, whether professional or amateur, who has great talents in nonverbal areas like band music, street dances and performances. In addition, Nonverbal Experience Program 2010, to be held in theaters set up in the Han River Park in Yeouido, consists of interactive performances like Nanta (a Korean popular nonverbal performance): Nonverbal performers will go beyond the boundaries of the stage and mingle with audiences, thereby making their performances interactive. Such nonverbal performances are expected to be well received by people regardless of their sex and age.
What's more, seven nonverbal experience programs, aimed at creating communications channels with citizens through physical contact, are in the pipeline: Sparrow Parade (children will turn into sparrows); Trans Express (nearly 500 domestic and foreign drummers will put on musical performances, characterized by strong beats and sounds, in order to crown the finale of Hi Seoul Festival 2010); Human Mobil @ Hi Seoul Festival; and Recreative! Play Noridan Village (by Noridan, a Korean social company that makes various musical instruments from recycled materials and puts on varied performances.)
The theme of Hi Seoul Festival 2020 is "nonverbal performances"
Director Kim continued, "Western nations have enjoyed a ritualized rebellion as a festival. A case in point is the Middle Ages' carnival: High-class ladies dressed up as prostitutes, aristocrats disguised themselves as servants and people wore masks to hide their social status. This time-honored festival has continued to be celebrated to this day and is enjoyed by a growing number of people."
"Likewise, our ancestors celebrated a ritualized rebellion as a festival. The Andong Dongchae Fight or Chajeon Nori (a traditional Korean game usually played by men, originating in the Andong region) is a typical example of that kind. Through the union of the "east" and "west" dongchaes (trapezoidal log frames) that depict sexual intercourse, our ancestors wished for bountiful harvests, fecundity and combative victory. The spirit of the Andong Dongchae Fight was against the culture of the ruling class (the yangban). Unfortunately, since the Andong Dongchae Fight was banned during Japanese colonial rule, such festivals have survived only in our heart," said Director Kim.
He said, "We aim to make Hi Seoul Festival 2010 a global festival that can be enjoyed by people around the globe, not to mention 1,000 domestic citizens. We want to make sure when people think of Seoul, Hi Seoul Festival will always come to their minds. Through nonverbal performances that get across well to all kinds of people, the brand of Hi Seoul Festival will be enhanced globally. And we are certain that Hi Seoul Festival will establish itself as one of Asia's major festivals, thereby promoting the cultural city of Seoul around the world."
Korea's autumn is called a season of high skies and stout horses. This means that the skies get bluer and all kinds of grain and fruit grow well, consequently fattening horses. Besides, the Han River parks, beautifully decked out in red-colored autumn leaves, will serve as the optimum festival area. Hi Seoul Festival 2010 is expected to evolve into a global festival that offers fun and inspiration to people in Asia and beyond.
