Brass Kitchenware by Master Artisan Kim Soo-Young
There comes a time when a creative has to think outside of him/herself, offering something to the community and wider world. In terms of our own ethos and having a bigger goal to work towards, it seems like a suitable time to promote craft with a definitive purpose in my mind. I like feel we can learn from schemes such as this by the Korean Heritage Preservation Society, with their project titled YÉOL that supports the efforts to promote Korea’s tradition and culture.
It’s an encouraging move and I’m particularly drawn to the photography and short film captured by Nils Clauss that pays homage to the work of Korean craftsman Kim Soo-Young, winner of the YÉOL Award for Craftsman of the Year 2013. The film is very special as it not only highlights his skill as a maker, but also the intense heat required to forge his materials juxtaposed with the harsh Korean winter landscape in which Kim Soo-Young lives and works. It’s quite poetic.
Soo-Young starts by melting the brass and pouring it in to the separate moulds, after the metal has been cast he turns the forms in to simple everyday vessels on a lathe. These final pieces were designed by product designer Gio Kisang and crafted by Kim Soo-Young himself. It’s great to see all these different creatives involved in a project such as this, turning an ancient craft and applying it to modern day scenarios. It will be interesting to see what else they produce in the future, I hope to see more creatives putting themselves out there and promoting others and their skills.