Drawing inspiration from traditional Korean homes, I wanted to create both a 2D artwork and garment based on the forms. I admire the structured harmony of traditional Korean homes. They have both strong pillar formations followed by curvaceous pagoda roofs. Moreover, the color palettes utilized in these homes are titled “Obangsaek”, a conventional and historical color palette.
My 2D artwork drew influences from Pablo Picasso’s Guitar, a work that deconstructed a guitar and examined the inner workings of the object. Thus, I wanted to create a 2D artwork that deconstructed a traditional Korean home and so each shape that was expressed in the piece held meaning. The squares represented windows, the curves represented the roof, and the cylinders represented the pillars. The color palette was also deliberate, and so I incorporated both traditional colors as well as colors used in a hanbok – the traditional cultural wear for Korean women. My garment reflected my inspirations and was a rendition/modernization of a hanbok.
The colors I used in my garment were also used in my 2D artwork and so when held together the two pieces are evidently related. The pieces are heavily ingrained in culture and offered me an exploration of Korea that only creating an artwork could provide. Additionally, my love for designing garments in a medium I am passionate about allowed for my skills to be used to their full potential and a result create an artwork I am proud of.
