30th May/Korea Friday Late/Victoria and Albert Museum/London

This Friday Late brings Korea to South Kensington. Join us as Korean culture and technological innovation collide and cross-pollinate the galleries. From soap pottery to bojagi sewing, poetry to straw chairs, and K-pop to experimental gastronomy, this event explores the vibrant landscape of Korean contemporary art and design.

Visualisation of Taste

19.00, 19.30, 20.00, 20.30, 21.00

Using synaesthesia as a source of inspiration, designer Jinhuyn Jeon takes experimental gastronomy to another level. Her creation of STIMULI cutlery enriches the eating experience, teasing your senses through texture, colour and sound. This workshop will literally tickle your taste buds.

The poet Ko Un

19.30, 20.30 (30 minutes)

Korea’s foremost poet and national treasure, Ko Un, will be reading Poems I Left Behind from his collection of Seon poems (a form of Korean Buddhist writing). At the age of 81 Ko Un has been a forerunner for the Nobel Prize in Literature and continues to captivate audiences worldwide. His lyrical poems exquisitely portray the powerful language and philosophically rich culture of Korea. Sir Andrew Motion will be reading the poems in English.

Curated by Jiyoon Lee

All Evening

Made Of Chair

Robe yourself in a Hanbok and a pair of Gomusin (both provided!) and take a pew on Made Of Chair. Designer Kim Been’s armchair evokes the sensual pleasures of sitting in straw, born out of a romantic sensibility and a realisation of the potential of rice straw, a material otherwise destined for fodder. 

TableStitch

Textile Futures graduate Soojin Kang invites you to master the art of traditional jogakbo sewing. With a different take on your usual Friday dinner dining, pull up a chair, sit and stitch the communal cloth to create a beautiful fusion of East meeting West across the table.

Meekyoung Shin

Situated within the Korean Gallery, Meekyoung Shin displays her ornate vases carved from soap. Take inspiration from Shin’s work and join her in the Learning Studio to engrave your own moon jar cast in soap.

Junebum Park

Watch filmmaker and video artist Junebum Park take the role of puppeteer as he manipulates the everyday scenes of Korean life. A comical distortion of the urban environment and an exploration of contemporary ideas of space, illusion and control. 

Complex, Red

Red, represents loyalty, good fortune and wealth in Korea. Borim Jun and Seung Hwan Lee’s red beacon will mark the start of your journey through this Friday Late, symbolising the role of red in the broader sweep of Korean culture.

Sung Jang Laboratory

With the head of a bear and the body of a dinosaur, build your own creature using EQB (Emotion Quotient Blocks). Each EQB unit connects to another with Sung Jang’s unique ‘genderless’ snap joints.

Surface Matters

In a world of touchscreen tablets and toasters that send emails, the role of the surface is changing radically. Audio 01 designed by Eunhee Jo is a tangible textural interface. You can control its sound using a fabric interface and feel the surface respond beneath your fingers.

More info at:

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/f/friday-late/

31st January/Friday Late/V&A/London

Sound It Out

Friday 31 January

18.30 – 22.00

Step into a Museum transformed. In the darkest of the long winter months Friday Late explores music's relationship to technology – from analogue to digital, from live streaming to digital manipulation.

All events are free and places are designated on a first come, first served basis, unless stated otherwise. Filming and photography will be taking place at this event.

ALL EVENING

Boiler Room Presents…

Showcasing the most exciting new electronic music scene via the world's largest online music platform, Boiler Room has become a global phenomenon. With an ethos somewhere between a pirate radio show and an online club, experience live performances exclusive to the V&A from unusual locations within the Museum. Link up to the live feed on their website here:

boilerroom.tv

The original contemporary late night eventAn ever-changing, curated programme of live performances, cutting-edge fashion, film, installations, debates, special guests and DJs, with bars, food, and late-night exhibition openings.

Held on the last Friday in every month (except December) from 18.30 - 22.00.

All Friday Late activities are free

Friday Late began in 1999, establishing the much-copied format for London cultural centres' evening events. The programme celebrates all aspects of contemporary visual culture and design in society, bringing audiences face-to-face with both leading and emerging artists and designers. By providing a platform through which to test ideas and challenge convention, Friday Late aims to inspire and provoke, whilst encouraging audiences to interact with the Museum’s collections in new ways. 

More info at:

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/f/friday-late/

14-22 Sept/London Design Festival at V&A/Victoria and Albert Museum/London

The London Design Festival at the V&A is a nine day festival of contemporary design that celebrates London as the creative capital of the world.

As the hub of the Festival, the V&A is the first point of call for Festival visitors: the place to meet, pick up information, visit inspiring installations and events, and to enjoy the Festival atmosphere.

Throughout the Museum there will be a range of specially commissioned installations and displays to enjoy, as well as a broad programme of special events, talks and workshops taking place throughout the week in the bright, modern setting of the V&A's Sackler Centre, and in the Museum.

Visit the Festival’s information desk in the Main Entrance to find out more.

More info at:

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/london-design-festival-at-the-v-and-a-2013/about-the-festival/