A Modern History of Everyday Life Revived Through Discarded Dish Fragments

[Financial News] The Hanyang University Museum and the National Maritime Museum of Korea said on the 20th that they are jointly presenting “The Movement of Things,” a special exhibition tracing the journey of modern industrial ceramics from production through distribution and consumption to disposal, in Seoul and Busan.
The exhibition was organized to explore modern urban life and the history of the ceramics industry, using dish fragments excavated in 2009 from the Haengdang-dong refuse site in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, as clues. The Seoul exhibition runs at the Hanyang University Museum through November 30, while the Busan exhibition runs at the National Maritime Museum of Korea in Yeongdo-gu, Busan, through November 7.
The exhibition focuses on everyday dishes used and discarded by Seoul residents from the late 19th century through the 1960s. Trademarks, business names and patterns left on the bases of dishes excavated from the Haengdang-dong refuse site in 2009 serve as clues to trace their places of production and distribution routes. The exhibition retraces how dishes made in Japan crossed the sea to reach tables in Gyeongseong before being discarded on the outskirts of the city, and extends the story to Yeongdo in Busan, a major production center.
The Seoul exhibition will also display around 60 hand-painted plates from Daehan Ceramics, painted by artists who took refuge in Busan during the Korean War. Made by artists including Byun Kwan-sik, Kim Whanki and Kim Eun-ho, the plates were used as souvenirs for UN forces and foreign journalists at the time, taken overseas, and later returned to Korea through collections by private collectors.
Academic events related to the exhibition will also be held. At 10:30 a.m. on the 21st, the Hanyang University Museum will host a roundtable titled “The Haengdang-dong Refuse Site and Modern Industrial Ceramics,” chaired by Bae Ki-dong, former director of the National Museum of Korea. A book talk on “Daehan Ceramics: The Encounter of Industry and Art” will follow at 2 p.m.
In addition, a program offering six visits to areas of Seongdong-gu, Seoul, will take place outside the exhibition venue. In Busan, buddy tours exploring the Yeongdo area will be held on the 24th and 31st.
Ahn Shin-won, director of the Hanyang University Museum, said, “Following the fragments of dishes is not simply an archaeological investigation, but a way of reconnecting a city’s everyday life with industries across the sea,” adding, “It will be a meaningful opportunity to explore the same object’s journey together in Seoul and Busan.”   

[email protected] Kim Man-gi Reporter