The Theme of the Video
The architectural spaces where Korean students are mostly exposed are their apartments, schools, and academies. They spend their daytime at school, and right after school, they are shuffled through hours of private education, even on the weekends. Thus, their life routines are home, school, academy, and back home, which are very dull and enclosed life routines with the society. Thus, the only thing they feel free and involved with the social community is in their online world, leading teenagers to become addicted to social media. This lifestyle of Korean students affects the architectural culture of Korea. Korea has lots of room cultures, such as study rooms, PC rooms, and Karaoke rooms, where they could easily go and borrow a small room of space whenever they want for the amount of time that they are free with high quality of service. Since Korean teenagers are busy with their class schedules, they do not have a big chunk of free time but small breaks between the classes. Thus, the students use their free time doing the café, PC room to play computer games, and Karaoke room to relieve their stresses. This video emphasizes how typical Korean students are restricted from enjoying the world in terms of space due to their studies and how it worsens due to shifting to online class mode.
Research
Since I was a student in South Korea, I have fully experienced and was aware of the Korean education system. Therefore, I went to Daechi-dong in Gangnam, where there is a famous private education street (street a full of private academies). The road has changed a lot that some stores have moved. Thus, I researched where those room-stores are located near the street. Based on the café, Karaoke room, and study room I have found, I imagine how the student’s life would be, attending one of the academies in Daechi-dong, as depicted in the video.
Storyline and Method
The setting is in Gangnam, mostly in Daechi-dong. The film is set on a vlog of a typical student’s lifestyle in Korea. Thus, it is filmed in one perspective, but to show the protagonist’s motion, it sometimes shifts to a third perspective view.
The storyline is divided into two parts, a vlog of a student having an offline class and switching to online mode. The offline mode shows a student going to school and going to the academy. Before directly going to the academy, it shows how students enjoy their life with those short transition times, such as hanging out doing homework with friends in a café before going to Daechi-dong. After the academy, the student goes to the Karaoke room before going home.
However, switching to online mode, every other class, including private lessons, has shifted to an online course. Thus, the student’s life has changed that the student lost even the tiny break of enjoyment within the compacted study schedules. The student simply goes to the study room, and in that one small space, the student goes to school and goes to the private academy listening online. Social media has taken place instead of hanging out with friends during free time.
Objectives and Reflections
Boyer has mentioned that cyberspace provides “annihilation of space and time.” However, through this project and observation of Korean students’ lifestyles, I state that the demolition of space and time has made people rely on cyberspace which is highly accessible. Korean students spend their lives mostly in enclosed indoor spaces and under the control of their parents just because they are adolescents. They are sent to school, where four sides are surrounded by the walls which are architecturally structured like a prison. Famous Korean architect Yoo Hyun Joon also pointed out that prisoners and students are the ones who wear the designated clothes, eat the selected food, and are placed in the assigned room under the control of supervisors. After school, they are put into the strict private education system where they are not allowed to have their freedom but to study. Therefore, the only provided free space they could easily access is the online space. Thus, the younger generation is into the online spaces because of the annihilation of space and time in real. Via this video, I want adults to take their time whether they did not eradicate young’s freedom of space and time or not. From an architectural point of view, how could they better provide the space for those younger?
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Subin Hwang 3035856381
Reference
Boyer, M. Christine. “The Imaginary Real World of CyberCities.” Assemblage, no. 18, 1992, p. 114., https://doi.org/10.2307/3171208.
Dukes, Vivett. “Why Do Our Schools Look like Prisons? What Is This Doing to Our Students?” New York School Talk, 18 May 2017, http://newyorkschooltalk.org/2017/05/schools-look-like-prisons-students/.
Eun-byel, Im. “[Herald Design Forum 2018] Smaller Buildings, Higher Ceilings and Diversified Structures for Schools: Yoo Hyun-Joon.” The Korea Herald, The Korea Herald, 15 Sept. 2018, http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20180915000097.
Lee, Joel. “[Seoul Saunter] Hagwon, Road to Freedom, or Serfdom?” The Korea Herald, The Korea Herald, 7 Aug. 2017, http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20170807000874.
“[Reportage] a Day in the Life of a Korean Student.” [Reportage] A Day in the Life of a Korean Student : National : News : The Hankyoreh, https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/911320.html.
I quite like your video! I think the turning point is amazing. There is a smooth change between the two BGM, which leads to a natural change of feelings when watching the video. Also, the use of camera to show the message on the phone is really impressive. I was wondering how you could do it so smoothly.
Besides, I think the video reflected the true situation of receiving the unpredictable “Switch to online message”, it reminded me of the sudden change in HK at the beginning of this semester. In my opinion, it gave the audience a feeling of being isolated from normal life and happiness(just as shown at the beginning of the video).
From this point of my view, Korea does a great job of culture exporting. I really love Korean culture and that makes me click on this video.
I love your video because it makes me a new vision of Korea as a Korean normal student. It is very direct to find the turning point of your story, people have a life of variety, however, all activities are online after the turning point, to form a strong contrast.
The report is also interesting, the point which has impressed me a lot is the perspective of architecture. Having thought about how the narrow space has influenced Korean students and how could better provide space for younger, ones has surprised me.
In the film, you try to restore Korean students’ daily routine, especially have brought the pandemic context into the filming agenda. I appreciate that you convey a heavy topic about students through a life-like perspective. Background music is an effective tool to process the atmosphere and emotional transition of a film. Therefore, I recommend you utilize the background music more cautiously to enhance the contrast between the two parts of the film. Furthermore, the idea that “space is a tool for strengthening surveillance and discipline” can be reinforced by neatly parallel shooting perspectives and cool/dark tones.