Hwanggeumsan project

Daebudo Island (Daebudo), which got its name “Daebu” (large hill) because from a distance it looks like a big hill rather than an island, is still an island, despite that it has been connected to the Siwha tide embankment. The Shore of Daebudo, which is not far from the metropolitan area, attracts many tourists on the weekends with its pier and beautiful scenery. Hwanggeumsan Mountain (168m above sea level), which resembles an octopus stretching its legs in eight directions, is a mountain that can be observed from anywhere in Daebudo. Hwanggeumsan Mountain looking like a large hill in a golden glow from the distance is the only place from which you can look around the surrounding areas, from Sihwaho Lake to the western coast. The school song from Daebudo’s elementary, junior, and high school goes like this “the blue water of the west sea is our mind, Hwanggeumsan Mountain is our spirit” suggests, Hwangge­umsan Mountain has been Daebudo itself and regarded as a sacred symbol, implying that anyone who harms it will be misfortunate. “The Folk Tale of a Tree Ghost at Hwanggeumsan Mountain”, an old folklore about the mountain and demonstrates the manner in which people treat the mountain. To establish a lesson that can alert the villagers, it states that cutting a tree at Hwanggeumsan Mountain will take the life of that person’s child as punishment.
Due to excavating materials for the construction of Siwha tide embankment (12.4 km) that connects Oido Island, Siheung-si, and Daebu Bangameori, the height of Hwanggeumsan Mountain has been lowered to 145m. The foot of the symbolic Hwanggeumsan Mountain in Daebudo is cut by hills northward and southward, and the view of the lake at Siwhaho is obscured by a transmission tower installed on the top of the mountain. Local students of the area used to picnic at Hwanggeumsan Mountain, however it has been gradually forgotten among the people and now is a place of memory. Owing to the embankment that sacrificed the lands, much of the wetlands, where various marine lives would thrive, were removed and also the lives of the villagers shifted from the sea to the land where they are now farming grapes or operating tourism programs such as a fishery village stay program. Hwanggeumsan Mountain represents the current condition of Daebudo that is caught in a whirlpool of capitalism. Deep down in the Villagers’ minds, their proactive, straightforward, and closed mentality still remains. The Daebudo Island that has been gradually encroached upon by the capital is losing its unique identity and characteristics.
There are various marine life including gobies, octopuses, and clams in the wetland of Daebudo. However, numerous crea­tures in the wetlands have been dying due to the tide-embankment, which has affected the ecological environment for the people living in that area. . Fishing boats that have not been in use are anchored at the mud flats, merely functioning as a photo zone for tourists. And the fishing gears abandoned at the docksides and the sandy shores have become a serious environmental issue. The colorful neon signs spreading out from the entrance of Daebudo Ban­gameori to the shores are blocking the peaceful view of Hwangge­umsan Mountain and the beautiful wetlands.
The purpose of the Hwanggeumsan Project is to revitalize the community of Daebudo, which has been plagued due to unmethodi­cal development, through artistic vibes, and to call attention to the forgotten mountain. After being chosen at the art competition of a regional revitalization support program organized by The Art Council of Korea with the aid of Bomnal Artists’ Cooperative Union and Gyeonggi Creation Center from 2014 to 2015, The Hwanggeum­san Project has been divided into two categories: Art Seongam and Agitat. The Art Seongam Program communicates with humans, nature, and ecology through various narratives related to the local area, whereas The Agitat Program is geared to create a community together with the local residents, including performance events and educational programs. In 2014, we limited the project locations to the reclaimed inland areas and Seongam village around the Gyeo­nggi Creation Center based on our research and an open forum with the residents. In particular, the tragic wounds from the Seon­gam reformatory (the former Gyeonggi Creation Center) are still observed and abandoned in the reclaimed inland areas and Seon­gam village around the Gyeonggi Creation Center. The Seongamdo inland area, reclaimed from the sea, was the site of the old salt fields where the students of the Seongam reformatory were exploit­ed in harsh conditions. The Seongam reformatory was built as cannon fodder during the Pacific War in the period of Japanese colonialism. After Korea’s liberation, it was used as a facility catering to war orphans and homeless children and changed into the Provincial Vocational Training Institute. In 2009, the institute was newly born into the Gyeonggi Creation Center. Since 2009, the center has invited about fifty native and foreign artists a year, offering a three month to two year long residence program. The residence program has an ideal condition for artists to carry out community cooperative projects as a way to contribute to the local community, utilizing its excellent facilities. However, the duration of the residency has been considered to be too short for the artists to get used to the unique environment of Daebudo Island and to envision and execute their community projects, which requires sustainable management in conjunction with the local communities. Therefore, it has been decided that artists interested in community outreach programs can prolong the duration of their residency at the center to develop and carry out their projects either as an individual or as a group. Since 2015, we have carried out the Hwanggeumsan Project in Seongam Village and reed fields area within the inland, with the artists selected or invited through our project presentations and open calls.
The Hwanggeumsan Project directed at healing this place of tragic memory is the project that needs to be done at this moment. I hope that the history of the region, records of life, and personal memories, imbued with the diverse perspectives of the artists working at Gyeonggi Creation Center, develop a project that fosters art and culture in Seongamdo Island. Furthermore, I would like to see that the Hwanggeumsan Project serves as a cornerstone upon which an eco-museum connecting islands on the Yellow Sea Coast could be established.

'Gazing into Hwanggeumsan Mountain'-Jeoung, Ki Heoun(Art Director)