The 2012 Seoul Photo Festival

Can you guess which part of Seoul this photo was taken in? It's the now posh neighborhood of Apgujeong, circa 1978! The third annual Seoul Photo Festival kicked off this Wednesday and offers an unusual opportunity to see the city's transformation. Through the ages, it's grown from a compact, walled city into the sprawling, trendy metropolis that you're familiar with today.

* 압구정 밭갈이 사진 – 전민조 작가 (1978년) Plowing outside of Apgujung by Minjo Jun. Photo Credit: http://bit.ly/V0V2my

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This exhibition will take place across several venues in Northern Seoul, including the Seoul Museum of Art. This year's theme is A Thousand Villages, A Thousand Memories.

Organizers invited photographers ranging in skill from amateur to professional to contribute their photos. This means that you can see a diverse range of perspectives coming together under the theme.

The festival has two main exhibits. The first one, "A City Full of Memories: Livelihoods and the Archeology of Memory", gathers original photos from people living across each of Seoul's 25 districts.

The second exhibit is called "There and Then: Memories, Reconstructed", and gathers photos from historically significant years. These photos taken by ordinary citizens will be reassembled in a way that tries to fill the gaps in Korea's official history and shows the human perspective.

1993 Seoul Jong-gu, Joonglib-dong alley photo. Photo Credit: http://bit.ly/UicEIv

AT&D spoke to Adina Renner, a graphic designer from Switzerland, who was already on her second visit to the exhibit at the Seoul Museum of Art.

"I went to the opening ceremony on Wednesday, but didn't have enough time to look around, so I came back today", she explained. "The exhibit gives a good insight into Korea that I otherwise wouldn't know".

Renner also appreciated how thoughtfully the historical photos were arranged. "I like the way it's curated", she said. "It gives a good overview of the years and the layout is very well done".

We also ran into Sung-bo Lee, a Korean native living in Seoul, who comes to this event every year. "I love looking at old photos from our history", she said. "It's a good opportunity to remember our past. Through the lens of the past, we can reflect on the future in a different way".

Admission to the 2012 Seoul Photo Festival is free and the event runs from November 21st to December 30th. Find more information on times and venues, you can visit the festival's English website: http://bit.ly/XDfs5w

About the author by Anna Sohn

I'm a New Jersey girl with a lifelong fascination with Korea, my motherland. In 2011, I moved to Seoul and I've enjoyed living in this wired and fast-paced city ever since. I'm excited to share the latest tech and design developments I encounter in Korea and hope you enjoy the AT&D blog as much I enjoy writing for it!

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