The Fifth Gwangju Design Biennale: Past + Future = a Better Now

“Anything Something,” (Geusigi, Meusigi) Artistic Director Lee Young Hye’s concept for the fifth Gwangju Design Biennale has taken shape in a unified, yet multifaceted exhibit that, in an eco-friendly way, collects everything from chairs to sports equipment to an organic farm and bakery to a collection of “Union Jack” products designed to let people show their national pride in many different ways.

The Design Biennale is both a coming out party and homecoming for a woman named Lloyd Choi, who entered the field through a forbidden trap door and emerged with the guts to put together a multi-national display here in Gwangju.

Lloyd , a fashion designer, design curator and consultant, who is working to bridge the business of new concepts between the United Kingdom and Korea, sat at a table set for high tea to talk about “Union Jack,” her display for this year’s Biennale.

Gwangju News:  Lloyd doesn’t seem to be a common name for children in Korea, how did you come up with it?

Lloyd Choi: I did not want to be dismissed or forgotten in England, so I came up with Lloyd so people would remember me. If they get a good impression, they don’t forget the name.

GN:  Where did you grow up and how did you end up in London?

LC:  I grew up in Kumsan, between Daecheon and Jeonju. I left Korea when I was 18, and I did not even stay long enough to see my high school graduation. I attended Middlesex University, but had to fib about my major. My parents thought it would be great if I learned more English, so I did not tell them I was a fashion design major at first. They expected me to teach English before getting married.

When they found out about my fashion design degree, at first I came back to Korea and worked for a designer here. I had a large dose of culture shock here in Korea because I had adapted to British customs. I was confused about whether my adult identity could fit into Korean culture, so when my sister Jackie got a break in England, I followed her back, and have been in London at Jackie Choi Studio since 2005.

I switched from fashion design to curating design exhibits when the Design Promotion Institute of Korea assisted my coordination of a Korean space at the London design fair “100% Design.” My focus since then has been to bring British design to Korea, and find contemporary Korean designers who incorporate traditional forms [to] introduce them to the United Kingdom. So much modern design occurred in Italy and Germany. The U.K. has twisted these ideas together, adding their own fine craftsmanship and melding concepts to make their own design statements. About 10 percent of England’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) comes from creative efforts.

GN:  How would you describe the function of design in 21st Century life?

LC: Design can improve people’s lives by giving them something pretty with a new shape, or by improving productivity with new functions that make products people will want to use every day.

GN:  How has it been to move from fashion designer to design curator?

LC:  The first three years have mainly focused on bringing British designs to Korea, but in the future, I will be finding contemporary Korean designers who use traditional concepts and crafts to show that high level of craftsmanship to the United Kingdom.

GN:  How does it feel to be recognized in your native land?

LC:  It feels great to be here, as it is a big step as a curator. I am looking to see what the reaction will be. I never thought of design as a form of entertainment, but entertaining is a great way to do business.

GN:  What inspired your Union Jack concept?

LC:  England has always been fascinated by incorporating its flag into design.  In 2012 Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee and the Olympics found people creating a lot of the more unusual and expensive designs, from Aruba Seth’s Swarovski Crystal studded wedge shoes, to Lulu Guinness’s Snakeskin Lips Clutch. The ubiquitous Union Jack is seen here on the top of a Mini, on a radio and even on a refrigerator, [all] manufactured in Italy.

The Union Jack has long been a symbol of credibility, giving products and personalities more panache. David Bowie had a special overcoat designed with a Union Jack, and Geri Halliwell showed her national pride with a Union Jack Mini dress.  In fashion, everyone from Gucci to Doc Marten’s Boots have had Union Jack lines.

GN: This must have taken a while to put together.

LC:  It took about a year to sort through and find the premium Union Jack products. Victoria Grant’s tam with a crown on the top is unique to the Biennale, but my goal was to make a space that is full of concepts that do not need to be explained in ornate language. The goal was to make a street party, as Londoners often do … to bring a tea set to the street and create a great experience, without having to forcibly teach anyone. This is much more Alice in Wonderland than Oxford University.

[As will be seen by visiting Lloyd’s display, every detail of the Union Jack display is powerfully British, from the fine china and provincial tables, to the Hydrangeas arranged in a brass pot.]

GN:  It seems that even though you had to sneak behind your parents’ back, your dreams are coming to life. Do you have any advice for the dreamers in Gwangju?

LC:  Dreams should be difficult to achieve. All parents want an easy life for their children, but if your dreams are easy to achieve, they are not really dreams. You have to have a lot of ambition to make a real dream come true. You have to accept the changes that come with following your own path, and then with enough hard work, your dreams can come true.

There are 358 designers and design teams from 20 countries at this year’s Biennale, making it one of the most broad-based design exhibits in the world. Other than Lloyd’s  space, other highlights include: the designer’s garden with a seed-collecting table and a working bakery, by Oh Kyung Ah and Choi Si Young ; Louis Vuitton’s  Objets Nomades; taxi driver uniforms by the design team of Chang, Woo, Kan, Ko and Choi; and the superb bamboo-filled Gallery 1 by Kim Paik Sun, inspired by the writing of Lee O Young. This is merely the interior to stand in, walk slowly through and ponder how the past can be a powerful influence on the present: how bent grasses can fulfill today’s needs while inspiring a return to traditional environmentally friendly lifestyles.

The Biennale can be found at the northern routes of bus 64 or 83. Bus 7 connects to 83 for a transfer at Chonnam University Humun and Daechin Park Apartments, up the hill from Humun. The Biennale is now showing and will remain open until November 3.