Hongje Stream is framed in neon lights as part of an outdoor art project. Pictures of Jeon Yu-an

What is the “light of your life”? If you had to choose one shining moment in your life, what would it be?

Here you will find the responses shared by people from Seoul: “The weekend after a hard day’s work”.
“A picture of my family in my wallet.” “Moving into my own house for the first time.”
“Getting my success notification after a long time spent studying”.
“My cat who greets me when I come home from work.”
“A lover’s smile.” “A direct deposit.”
The little glimmers of light that each harbors become a beacon in the long tunnel of life.

Glow-in-the-dark drawings made by elementary school students along Hongje Stream.

A ray of light in an old tank camp

On July 18, I walked along Hongje Yuyeon (an open-air exhibition) in Hongeun Ward, Seodaemun District, Seoul.

Here, the lower part of Yujin Sangga – a shopping complex built some 50 years ago – has been transformed into an “Artistic Road of Light”.

A formerly closed section has been opened and a walking path has been laid out in a damp cave-like tunnel.

The name “Hongje Yuyeon” expresses the idea of ​​healing and harmony through art, as the relationship between people and water is renewed. The Yujin Sangga structure was built in 1970.

It is about the same age as other shopping complexes Sewoon Plaza and Nakwon Arcade.

It was once considered an exclusive mixed-use resort, but today it appears as a remnant of a bygone era, sprawling across the Naebu Highway, with the left side of its roof missing, various dents in its structure and sign reading “Yujin Mansion”.

An old commercial building called Yujin Mansion.

Inside the building, military elements bear witness to a time of inter-Korean conflict.

The structure was originally built to prepare for the possibility of a North Korean invasion, at a time when anti-communist slogans were widely proclaimed following a 1968 assassination attempt on the president.

Lovers of “secret stories” could find their account there. The lower space is constructed with pilings (an open structure of pillars to support loads without using walls), and the 100 cement columns that support the building might have looked desolate.

But it all makes sense if you understand that the original intention was to use it as a tank camp or create a line of defense in case of an emergency by blowing up the pillars.

Yujin Sangga caught the eye once again when it was selected as a 2019 candidate site for Seoul City’s public art project “Seoul is a Museum.”

Over the past year, public art works have been presented one after another, using light, sound, color and technology.

A section of the dark tunnel built to park the tanks is now filled with illuminated artwork.

“MoonSun, SunMoon” by Yoon Hyung-min reflects its light on the stream.

Eight works of “light art” appeal to the five senses.

At the entrance is a participatory artwork called “Hongje Prayer Wheel”.

Subtitled “1,000 lights”, this mobile sculpture carries messages composed by 1,000 residents on the theme “the light of my life”.

These posts were collected over a three-month period starting in November last year through the Seoul City homepage, the “Seoul in my hand” and “Seoul is a museum” Facebook pages. “, and Hongje Yuyeon’s Instagram page.

Visitors can turn the work by hand to view them.

People crossing the Hongje stream

Citizens lined up to take selfies near “Warmth” (Team Co-Work), which is connected by lights attached to 42 cement pillars.

It is equipped with sensors: when people approach, the color of the lights changes from red to yellow depending on their body temperature.

This is an example of integrating interactive technology. The “Hongje Yuyeon Future Ecosystem” is a phosphorescent mural created in collaboration with 20 students from Inwang and Hongje primary schools.

The students explored the Hongje Stream with an ecology expert and made paintings of imaginary creatures.

These appear all the more clearly when they are illuminated by a light-emitting diode (LED).

Visitors can also reflect on the meaning of “darkness” through eight other artworks located along the waterway, including “Light_Narrative of Light” by Mioon, “Hongje Yeonga, the Mise en Scene” by Jin Gi-jong, “Breath” by Team Co-Work, “MoonSun, SunMoon” and “Um…” by Yoon Hyung-min, “Dudurukteo” by Youm Sang-hoon and “Sound Art” by Hong Cho-sun.

People walking through the tunnel along Hongje Stream.

Exit the tunnel and return to the world in which we live.

The Hongje stream was covered over to build Yujin Sangga, which has been criticized as one of the “primary offenders” disrupting the flow of nature. The waterway, which stretches 11.95 kilometers from the exit of Pyeongchang Ward in Jongno District, passing through Seodaemun and Mapo Districts before joining the Han River, can finally flow without interruption thanks to the road of light.

Using the illuminated works of art as a guide out of the deep tunnel, visitors rediscover the world we live in. The “Dudurukteo”, which consists of a small square, was built for everyone to sit and enjoy the summer breeze. Families of wild ducks can be seen diving into Hongje Stream.

A 70-year-old from the neighborhood visiting for a late afternoon stroll told me, “I’m from this neighborhood, and I love how they’ve made it safe for the kids to play in, and no longer damp and overgrown as it once was.”

“The nice things they did in the tunnel are spooky and fun,” said another.

Here you can rediscover how soft light appears when darkness is deep. As you walk through the long tunnel, why not think about the things that have lit up your own life?

Hongje Yuyeon is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

By Jeon Yu-an, Guest Reporter