‘Dukkeobi’ project (means ‘toad’ in Korean)
<Hey toad>
Hey toad, hey toad, I'll give you an old house, give me a new house.
Hey toad, hey toad, get me some water, I'll build your house.
Hey toad, hey toad, your house is on fire, bring your chains and come around.
『 <Hey toad]> is a traditional Korean children's song that has been handed down for a long time. If you hum the lyrics that start with "Hey toad, hey toad, I'll give you an old house, give me a new house." the contents of the lyrics are not easily understood. There are several theories about the meaning of this song. One of them is that it contains the following metaphorical meanings. For example, "old house" means "mother" and "new house" means "newborn." And a toad means object of fear and holiness as poisonous beings that can harm both real animals and humans. In other words, the song tells the story of a mother pleading to a toad that she would be willing to give her life to it if she could only have a newborn. 』
Old building remained precarious on the site. Just like the "old house(mother)" in the lyrics. She was singing hoping for a "new house(newborn)" that would replace her, who is no longer able to stand.
“Hey toad, hey toad, I'll give you an old house, give me a new house.”
But we hoped that this song would not end up as a sad story here. A place where no one's sacrifice is necessary. We wanted to create a place where "mother(old house)" and "newborn(new house)" could be together, even "toad", which is the object of fear. Thus, the following two meanings were put into the project.
First, 'old house' and 'new house' must coexist. It was planned to place a new building on the site while maintaining the old building, like a “newborn” in the womb of a “mother”. Furthermore, through the illumination and shape inside the building, we become "newborn baby" ourselves, and we feel this place as a mother's womb.
Second, there should be a song for the newly born "Baby," not a sad song that "Mother" sang alone. Based on the rhythmic repetition and simplicity of the nursery rhymes, the layout and structure of the building as well as the landscape and furniture of the interior and exterior were expressed in geometric form. And it is programmed to focus on music(sound) not only in terms of meaning but also in actual function. As you move along the line of movement from the entrance to the main square, you can feel that the intensity of the visual experience gradually decreases and the auditory concentration increases.
The entire program has two squares of different widths overlapping each other.
Lounge Square takes a method of mobilizing visual senses as the first step in space experience, creating a space atmosphere full of subtle light so that people can comfortably permeate the area. It sells F&B and goods and provides services as a reception if necessary.
As you approach the main square, which is located a little deeper along the path, the balance of sensory shifts from 'visual' to 'auditory'. In harmony with it, this space will be operated as an open auditorium where people can freely enjoy curated music and performances.
