Happy Friday. (I know it has been an awful week for the national psyche in the United States).
Here in the Far East, it was the first day with milder temperatures for me (a high of 28°C/ 83°F in Seoul today).
I walked around the hotel here by Seoul’s City Hall for a bit this morning, and then went out to Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) with the No 2 subway line.
This green space is right by my hotel. In it is the shrine called Hwangudan (황궁우 / 皇穹宇)— also known as the Wongudan Altar. It was constructed in 1897 by Emperor Gojong of the Korean Empire and renovated from 2015 to 2017.Not far away is Deoksugung Palace (the Royal Palace). The morning’s Royal Guard Ceremony was just finishing up as I arrived there.Lots going on by Seoul City Hall— workers at a company protesting about their working conditions or contracts, and Seoul Bike workers repleshiing the bike rack.Korea’s first driverless autonomous shuttle will run along to the Cheonggyecheon Stream in downtown starting in late September, after test runs and safety checks.A closer look. There is a U-shaped seating bench inside and a large screen.Korean manhwa on a large screen on a building.Yes, Apple had better advertise its new iPhone because this is Samsung’s home turf. (Samsung has 70% of the smartphone market here, Apple about 20%.)And is all that on the entire side of the building a screen? Sixteen stories tall about something AI? Why, yes. Why not?Seoul tour buses by Dongdaemun Design Plaza.Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) is a major urban development landmark in Seoul, designed by Zaha Hadid and Samoo, with a distinctively neofuturistic design characterized by the powerful, curving forms of elongated structures. [Source: Trip Advisor/ Viator]That’s a heart-shaped outline on the stairs for a charity event that was held in the space below.The exit/ entrance to the Line 2 train station is on the right. A camera crew is recording a discussion and a performance.A few other public art installations are on display as well. I could not find the name of this one.This one is called Molecular Cloud by French artist Vincent Leroy.This is inside: an art garden filled with artwork. (The little trees are not real trees).
