Art meets fashion at Platoon Kunsthalle's night flea market in Seoul
Three floors of art scene aficionados. Made up of some two dozen cargo containers, Platoon Kunsthalle's warehouse-like contour resembles a futuristic edifice where Lady Gaga might possibly be working on her performance pieces. Once you step through the doors of this building you are transported into an eccentric art-house playground. The interior is a one of grandeur yet with a simple style and refreshing ambience.
Easily one of the most unique structures in Seoul, Platoon Kunsthalle (German for "art exhibition facility") acts as a communication platform for any subcultural genre. Since its opening in upscale Chungdam last April, Platoon has built an active membership by providing a distinctive art space that houses monthly art exhibitions and cultural events. There are also shared rooms where underground artists can produce and perform various fashion, music, dance and other art projects.
An unknown quantity
MP, a Korean student from Seoul, was astonished by the event. “I had no idea that a place like this existed in Seoul. Maybe in Japan, but not in Korea.” He haggled with one of the vendors and got a skinny hounds-tooth-stitched vintage tie for ₩2,000.
Rina Park, who sported a black-netted vintage hat that she purchased for ₩30,000, struck a pose with her friend. “It's a lot of fun here. There's no other event like this in Korea,” she remarked.
Platoon is a place that nurtures creative projects from graphic design and film-making to street art and club culture. They are always on the lookout for foreign talent, so if you think you've got what it takes, check out their website and sign up for an art space. You can also reserve floorspace at the monthly flea market.
The bar and restaurant are open Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., serving alcoholic beverages and authentic German cuisine. There's a DJ event every Thursday and Friday night. The Flea Market takes place on the first Saturday of every month.
Shop and drop to the beats of DJ Baya or DJ Shannon at the next flea market event. You might even catch one of these vendors in action.
Yun Yeon Jae, from Hongdae, Seoul, sits with her friends on the second floor and sells cute hand-made bracelets. Yeon Jae works as a photographer and also operates an online clothing store selling women's apparel.
Delightful Jo Seo Hee stands among a collection of shoes, boots, shirts, skirts and accessories. This sultry Seoulite is not only an online clothing store CEO, but also a successful part-time model.
Jamaican artist named Gold Tea assembles colorfully beaded bracelets. His textured paintings, with titles like Shy and Women's meeting, sell for around ₩25,000 depending on the size.
An online store super-seller, Yie Jin is a designer, stylist and model for her business Liphop. This young entrepreneur from Seoul sells new and used vintage bags, skirts, dresses, shoes and underwear on her website.
Chad Burton from Canada displays an eccentric collection of second-hand clothing and hand-crafted accessories on the first floor. Part-time model, photographer and full-time fashionista, Chad doesn't skip a beat on the Korean club scene.
Kyu Tae Kang runs an online store where he sells personally designed graphic-tee's with colorfully textured prints for 20,000 won. In this photo, one of the volunteers displays a unisex t-shirt. Tel: +82 (0)2 3447 1191  About the author: Kyle Burton is a writer, photographer, English teacher and neo-bon-vivant currently living in South Korea. For more information check out his website www.ketwam.com and blog ketwam.blogspot.com. Kyle submitted this piece as part of CNNGo's iReport section. To find out what other stories we are looking for, go to our iReport page. |
