1.
Interviews always fail. Or perhaps they should. There is something significant about the discovery of language ending with the Tower of Babel. The moment we believe that we can fully understand each other through words, uncontrollable misunderstandings will pile up like a skyscraper.
The arrogance of sketching first impressions may be a skyline that plausibly lists various misunderstandings. Furthermore, a famous person like Seunghyosang has a public shield that blocks the gaze of others. He has nothing to give me except the repetition of boredom.
2.
The first impression of 'Irojae' is a bit different from what I imagined. Maybe it's because it's not the original name. The sincerity of a scholar who steps on dew-covered grass is replaced, as if joking, with that of a designer who works through the night. When you climb up the corner of a red-rusted iron box and pass through a dark, narrow hallway where no light comes in, your eyes are suddenly blocked by a large wall that doesn't allow you to see everything at a glance.
Among them, he sits with his back to the heavy wall, like a seated Buddha. Mr. Seunghyo Sang is treating guests with a simple and easygoing appearance, but this place is not at all designed to make the other person feel comfortable. A long, heavy table is placed horizontally, dividing the two worlds like a river, and on the other shore, the architect drinks tea alone and gives sermons.
" Single sword, direct attack. I really like kendo. In kendo, the outcome is decided the moment you meet the opponent. Each move is simply to confirm that you have won. However, if you move rashly without that confidence, you will get hit."
3.
Mr. Seung Hyo-sang is famous as an architect who writes. This means that his purpose is not just to build pretty and expensive buildings. He is a person with clear opinions and has a lot to say to the world. If you look at the columns he published in newspapers, they are concise and clear, and he really gets to the point. Professor Yoo Hong-joon commented, "His architectural stories always reach the core of the humanistic spirit."
However, in a book review program, when asked about his feelings after building, Seung Hyo-sang once said this. "I failed again. I'm sure I won't fail this time, but the reality is that I still have to fail, so I'm always obsessed with it. Even though I finish the design with confidence, even though I think I'll finally achieve something this time, I end up frustrated every time."
Straightforwardness without even an inch of hesitation requires a certain amount of conviction. Architecture is something that inevitably involves other people’s lives, so if you don’t think hard enough, you can easily harm your life. So the job of an architect is to come up with your own answer to the question, “How should we live?” Anyone would hesitate to ask such a weighty question, but architecture is the only one that is on display to the world. It’s an unfortunate position where you can’t be certain about even a single line. That’s why he desperately clings to the humanities, and yet he is destined to reproach himself every time.
4.
I find his failure interesting. Rather than the passion or obsession of a craftsman that is hard to find, this is an excuse as a human being who cannot be perfect. Architecture is not an art that expresses something alone, nor is it mathematics that derives results according to conditions. In his words, "There is no work to be completed here, no concept to be realized." Bespoke is a space design that gives someone a new perspective on life and a world.
How could such a beautiful work be a failure? I guess architecture is a language for him to communicate with the world. If so, it is understandable that he fails every time and tries again. He is clumsy at being circumspect and does not know how to embellish affection and compassion. He is not interested in the Tower of Babel that humanity has built to reach the sky. He just continues to ask questions while collecting countless scattered languages.
Croquis Kim Jun-ki
