North Korea has been infiltrated.

Dear Grace

I found an amazing guy living in London. He is leading some group of tourists in North Korea since 2 years. And he is just 25! You can contact him via his Facebook group. He seems to have lot of experience in the field and would be of great interest for your project.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=124032477615177&ref=mf

His name is Alex Hoban. He is currently living in East London.

He is also a writer for Viceland, you can have a look at all his articles here:

http://www.viceland.com/wp/category/alex-hoban/

I think it's a great guy. You definitly should contact him.

Kiss

X

Pablo - Objects/memories web site

Hi group

This is a web site I started to develop last week.

I have to improve this much more, but for the moment you can upload your name, object, memories with this object and a picture (if you want).

You can also search for other people, objects and experiences (but for the moment it’s completely empty).

If you want to donate a nice memory with a cherished object, feel free to do it. :D

http://www.feelthings.com/

video for 3min presentation

Hi,

it would be nice to have some comments and suggestions.

Too long? too boring?

I decided not to include sound because it didn't have good quality, it seemed strange.

I think I like not having any sound at all... makes it more 'deep' in a way.

Should a find a song? (it's so difficult to find one that fits...)

Do you think I should include some kind of background/image instead of leave it white?

Thank you so much :)

For Amaya

http://popupcity.net/library/

Hey there is a free e-book on this called emotional cartography I thought you might like it some of the links are cool on this website also
xx

Portuguese tiles patterns

Soo Young, here you can see the project that me and my classmates did in 2nd year of Uni about Portuguese tiles and its patterns. It was mainly a visual research, so we don't have any theoretical references for that. But I am quite sure that this patterns don't have any meaning. The only thing I can tell you more about tiles is that they are part of our culture and our visual identity. It's present in the facades of lots of old buildings around the country.

Some of them have influences from muslim patterns (easy to identify).

John

This is the link I told you about design+education. Didn't read it yet so don't really know what it's about, but might be of interest. It's a "toolkit" that you can download for free, just under the tag.

4 Martha

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=208726445828457

A COLLECTION OF ACCIDENTS

A collection of accidents is an attempt by Dries Wiewauters to reveal some of the small coincidences that occur during the design process, but end up leaving a strong influence on the finished product. What triggers these moments? What is their origin? The presentation will highlight some past and forthcoming projects; relate them to each other and to prior influences. It will try to expose all the elements of a project that remain hidden within the finished design.

Invited to design the second set of the embedded typeface for SALT's identity, Dries Wiewauters is a graphic designer who also happens to be an avid type designer. He has two Master degrees, one in Graphic Design (2008, Sint-Lucas, Ghent, Belgium) and one in Typography (2010, Werkplaats Typografie, Arnhem, the Netherlands.) Wiewauters is currently based in Belgium and works as a freelance designer specializing in printed matter and custom typefaces.

http://www.drieswiewauters.eu/

Food Design

Anna, this design studio (well, a collaboration of several designers) in Reykjavik makes some projects in food design. Couldn't find any in the website, but just read it quickly **

Windowfarms

might be especially interesting for Paula:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkCuPrsPn_I&feature=player_embedded

the only divided country

I've edited this post, Grace, as there were no images showing and it was very, very long. Here it is without images and with formatting amended (no change to text).

I look forward to your presentation and to the feedback on the project which I think will be very useful for you.

The only divided country

1.History of Korea

Before the division

Korean history begins with the founding of Go Jo-seon in 2333 BC by Dangun. In 18^th Century Korea was occupied by Japan during 35years.(1910–1945). At the end of World War II, the Japanese surrendered to Soviet and U.S. forces who occupied the northern and southern halves of Korea, respectively.

After the division

Espite the initial plan of a unified Korea in the 1943 Cairo Declaration, escalating Cold War antagonism between the Soviet Union and the United States eventually led to the establishment of separate governments, each with its own ideology, leading to Korea's division into two political entities in 1948: North Korea and South Korea. In the North, a former anti-Japanese guerrilla and communist activist, Kim Il-sung gained power through Soviet support, and in the South, an exiled and right-wing Korean political leader, Syngman Rhee, was installed as president.

On 25 June 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea, sparking the Korean War, the Cold War's first major conflict.

On 25 June 1950, North Korea invaded the South, using Soviet tanks and weaponry. During the Korean War (1950–1953) millions of civilians died and the three years of fighting throughout the nation effectively destroyed most cities.

South Korea Democratic state Capitalist country	North Korea
	Socialist state Collectivism Juche Idea (made by Kim il-sung) Dictator ship

2.The reality of division

38th Parallel

The 38th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 38 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. After the Armistice ended the Korean War in 1953, a demarcation line was established through the middle of the Demilitarized Zone. This line crosses the 38th parallel at an acute angle, from southwest to northeast, now serves as the Military Demarcation Line between the two Koreas.

Poverty of North Korea

Now, South Korea and North Korea are in a totally different situation. North Korea has so many problems. North Korea is in necessity. Today, North Korea is beset by widespread poverty and famines. Millions of people died and a lot of people are dying of hunger in North Korea. But Kim Jung-il who is dictator of North Korea and his family live in luxury.

Humanitarian conditions in North Korea

North Korea has most infamous labor camps. The North Korean Political Prison Camp is huge place of exile where the political prisoners considered as threat to its regime are isolated from society. The North Korean regime established 10 camps, holding approximately 150,000 prisoners as of today. Most do not survive and return from their time, and prisoners are daily subjected to 12 hours of forced labour and various forms of violence and torture to death.

3.Research of art works about North Korea

Several artists are telling about North Korean’s situation in all over the globe. Some of art works deal with North Korean’s terrible situation. It shows famine and poverty. Some artists made a documentary about the North Korean’s prison camps and people who was in that prison camp. As well as, A North Korean defector made a musical in South Korea, depicting what he says is a realistic display of the cruelty found in a Northern prison camp.

Kimjongilia (2009) 75min Documentary

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTragUC8AnY

North Korean defectors tell their stories of repression, escape and hope.Director: N.C. Heikin

Writer: N.C. Heikin

Stars: Kang Chol Hwan, Lee Shin and Choi Young Hun

Musical ‘Story of Yoduck’ (2007)

Director: Jung san, Jung

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxSTNECCVr8&feature=related

A North Korean defector made a musical in South Korea, depicting what he says is a realistic display of the cruelty found in a Northern prison camp. The several dozen performers created the musical entitled “Yoduk Story” - named after the prisoncamp where human rights organizations say entire North Korean families are sent for even minor political crimes. This musical performed in South Korea, New York and Washington D.C. It was successful also total amount of profits donated for North Koran defectors.

Documentary ‘Pizza for the people’

Director: Kim Whang

Overview

In the course of a long running ideological conflict North Korea is one of the most culturally isolated countries in the world, which reject any foreign influences through a tight control of media and communication equipment. To protect the NK identity from potential damaging western influences, short wave radios for example are banned while TV receiver are locked to tune only to the 3 official channels.

Paradoxically, with the support of pizza loving leader Kim Jong-il the first-ever Pizzeria was recently opened to provide an authentic Italian experience for a minority of wealthy political elite.

With the aim off challenging current cultural obstacles in North Korea, I have contacted a number of Chinese smugglers in China to distribute illegal propaganda over the border to North Korea, through the popular DVD format, which players are widely found in NK homes.

The Pizza to NK is the first in a series of designed insertions that explores how design can playfully contribute and impact on a social and cultural level, subtly challenging an ideological status quo.

http://www.hwangkim.com/pizza.html

BBC News : The first-ever pizzaria opens in North Korea

He made a film and it introduce how to make a pizza for North Korean. Because Pizza is grand public food but North Korean cannot have a pizza. Also, this film contains some of different stories such as ‘How to packing for travel’, ‘How to enjoy Christmas’ and ‘How to enjoy South Korean style dancing’. In North Korea, normal people cannot travel to abroad so they never have been tried to packing for take flight. So they didn’t know that it has some rule like no knife, no fire something like this. And in North Korea, people cannot enjoy jazz music, dace music even classical music which composed by people who lived in capitalist country. North Korean could dance with only their music which has purpose for praising Kim jong il. As well as, this film introduces how to enjoy Christmas and Santa Claus. So this film introduces different culture what we have to North Korean.

After, he sent this DVD to North Korea through different way because in North Korea, watching South Korean TV or Drama is really dangerous. When North Korean watch South Korean’s DVD, if they get caught they should go to the prison camp.

Finally, he could get some feed back from North Korean. They sent a letter to him and they said they tried to make a pizza and it was really delicious.

He film it whole process and it is the documentary titled ‘ Pizza for the people’.

In my opinion, he didn’t say any negative words but he contained everything in his project. It has strong power and I could feel that.

Graphic Design

Title: typographic viruses

Designer: Jonathan Barnbrook

http://www.barnbrook.net/

Documentary: Pyongyang Style

Director: Steve Gong

Steve Gong is a multimedia journalist and portrait photographer based in New York, London, and Beijing.

http://www.stevegongphoto.com/

Born. China Raised. Italy 
University of Virginia. B.A. Biology, B.A. Psychology 
University of the Arts London. M.A. Photojournalis

http://vimeo.com/19901182

Steve Gong traveled North Korea. Actually almost foreign people can travel to North Korea. But every time North Korean guide will be with people and watch what people do. Also, In North Korea tourist cannot have their mobile, lab top, every kind of electronic stuffs even foreigner. But Steve Gong success to record in North Korea and he made a documentary. This video shows North Korean’s real life in Pyongyang. Pyongyang is a capital city of North Korea.

Book

The last Paradise: North Korea

Nicolas Righetti

Photographs and text by Nicolas Righetti. Introduction by Orville Schell. Umbrage Editions, New York, 2003. 128 pp., numerous color illustrations, 9¼x7¼".

Publisher's Description
"The Last Paradise offers a rare and tantalizing glimpse into the surreal landscape and psyche of the world's only communist dynasty, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Secretive, paranoid, and unrepentantly militant, North Korea has incubated its own peculiar mix of communist utopianism and personality cult. Nicolas Righetti is one of the few Western artists invited to photograph North Korean society. Righetti's images feature a bright urban landscape dotted with paper flower, curvaceous neo-constructivist architecture, and synchronized folk dancing. The telltale signs of the poverty and repression of the North Korean regime remain embedded in the absurd juxtaposition of details: huge guns hidden in the traditional landscape wall paintings; looming, inescapable portraits of the late Great Leader and his son; empty shelves at the Paradise Food Shop; Big Brother exhortations proclaiming nirvana achievable through 'iron discipline.'"

POSTED BY RARE AUTUMN AT 13:27

Art under control in North Korea

Jane Portal, British Museu

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=zWH05CbG02kC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Art+under+control+in&hl=ko&ei=Tc7nTfb9EISKhQeAms2iCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&res

This timely volume places North Korean art in its historical, political, and social contexts, with a discussion on the state system of cultivating and promoting artists and an examination of the range of art produced, from paintings.

Sang-Soo Ahn

Sang-soo Ahn's works

http://www.galerie-anatome.com/Sang-Soo.html?id_document=1030&langen

http://www.egodesign.ca/en/article.php?article_id=126&page=1

Fail again, fail better

Hey Martha, here is a text on failure, risks and creativity, might interest you *

see music

Finally I found this website that I remembered when you said you would like to make patterns for traditional music of Korea.

Amaya's project /

James 500 words

HRH The Prince of Wales: A Vision of Britain: A Personal View of Architecture

This particular book by Charles Philip Arthur George (a prince) is basically in his opinion ‘[a book] to try and create discussion about the design of the built environment; to rekindle an alert awareness of our surroundings; inspire a desire to observe; but, most of all, to challenge the fashionable theories of a professional establishment which has made the layman feel he has no legitimate opinions.’ I find it interesting as to what would be the relevancy of such a book, if it is the personal view of one person who also acknowledges has no expertise in the area.

Not many books have a front cover which when illustrated is irrelevant to the subject area. Charles Philip Arthur George takes up half the cover pulling a most peculiar facial expression and dithering his right hand to take up more of the cover blocking that out of focus architecture in the background. It’s understandable though as like Charles Philip Arthur George says he is a layman and lacks expertise on the matter.

On the inside flap we are told of how in 1984 Charles used ‘hard-hitting phrases’ for the first time about his views on modern architecture in some speech in 1984 (this book came out in 1989). His words ‘alerted the nation to his deep concern about the effect some modern architecture has had on the environment and on people’s lives.’ So this book is really nothing more than one person’s opinions. His issues lie within modern architecture and how it doesn’t fit in or disrespects architecture of the past with its presence or scale. He has an issue with contemporary architecture and believes ‘it can and should be something as admirable of the past. What should not be missed is Charles’ idea of an architectural Ten Principles (terrible attempt at pun?) ‘- a set of ‘sensible and widely-agreed rules, saying what people can and what they cannot do’.

Obviously this book only exists for one single reason, the man’s status. The book exemplifies his lack of any understanding of what feels like everything, and not just architecture. He seems unsurprisingly very much out of touch with people’s lives and priorities. I have no idea if this book was a successful seller on it’s release, but when its current second hand value is nearly 300 times less than it’s cost of postage (1p www.amazon.co.uk), I doubt that it is regarded as a relevant book. It greatly suggests that had he the power to dictate over the country this one man’s desire would be priority over that of his subjects. Although he does actually try to interfere with the development of certain buildings, and does sometimes prevail.

The point is, what is the importance and relevancy of a man’s status if they did nothing to achieve it. If it gives them some power and somehow entitles them to a (false) sense of importance, what is the benefit of that and why should that be a given?