2December 2014, New Delhi. The Korean Culture Center India, Lajpat Nagar New Delhi celebrated Hanji festival, from 24November to 2nd December , in association with Jeonju Fashion Association from Korea . On 24th November at the occassion of opening ceremony of festival a korean mask Dance was performed by a korean artist
After Bongsan there was Traditional Korean percussion performance by Park Eun ha ( A Well known Folk celebrity from Korea). She played ‘ Janggu ‘ the most widely used drum used in the traditional music of Korea.
The Janggu performance was followed by Korean traditional dance on traditional Korean folk song ‘Arirang’
on this occasion the VIP guest were :-
1)His Excellency Lee Joon Gyu ,Ambassador of the Republic of Korea in India
2)Kim Kum Pyoung ,Director of Korean Cultural Centre India
3)kang Jin Ha, Director of The Millenium Jeonju Hanji Forum,Korea
This festival will strive to introduce Hanji in India while showcasing the evolution of its usage through stationery and day-to-day objects. The creation of clothing with paper was unimaginable previously. Hanji is used in clothing, dolls, furniture, accessories, fans and as a sub-material for other pieces of artistic works. Through this festival, the multifaceted usage of Hanji will be displayed and is divided largely into four categories.
Firstly, fashion-show and performances
Twenty or so fashion designers from Korea will showcase 50 outfits made of hanji. It is not easy task to make clothing out of paper and is quite difficult to imagine. The organization behind this creative endeavor has been showcasing fashion shows for the last few years. Through the hanji fashion to be displayed by Indian models, a new experience in Korean fashion will be introduced to Indian audiences.
Secondly, exhibitions.
Both the Korean traditional art works and the works of Indian contemporary artists will be exhibited. Hanji will be used as the base for fans, baskets, vases, etc and the pieces of art will show painting on the hanji and the usage of hanji in three-dimensional works to provide a feast for the eyes.
Thirdly, workshops.
The Korean Cultural Center has signed an MOU with the city of Delhi to foster cultural exchange with schools and has been inviting school students to join in various cultural programs. A Korean veteran artist will be joing this Hanji festival and will personally show the use of hanji to students as a three-day workshop which includes making of dolls, fans and plates.
Fourthly, the paper market
Hanji which was previously made through hand-work has been successfully mass-produced in the form of diverse materials. As regular written paper, wallpaper and material for production works, the different usage of the dak tree has been revolutionized as a highly functional material.
Hanji is Korean traditional paper and paper mulberry tree or dak tree in Korean, which is the key material needed to make Hanji. First, Hanji was used in ancient Korea for various applications such as document paper, construction and medical device. It was used to make books and royal records to keep them preserved for a long time. For the construction application, Hanji as wallpapers and window papers has insulation and ventilation effects and controls humidity. Also, Hanji was used as a medical device to stop bleeding.
