Seoul Museum of Craft Art

_hyogeun_

The place, now used as the 'Seoul Crafts Museum', has been remodeled from Pungmoon Girls' High School. Without being told it was remodeled from a school, one feels a familiar sensation upon seeing the shape and structure of the building and the wide plains in front of it, likely due to spending 12 years in the uniform space of a school. This location, where exhibition halls have been created by tearing down the walls that divided classrooms and corridors, regrettably cannot hold much due to its narrow width. However, it is a delight that the playground, previously accessible only to certain individuals and surrounded by walls, is now an open space for the public. The exhibition layout, unchanged from when it was a school building, might not provide the best viewing experience, but seeing the wide courtyard and exteriors of other exhibition halls through the windows offers a special experience unique to this place, as most museums and art galleries are built without windows to protect the artwork. The school's playground, true to its name, serves as a space for sports activities, hosting sports days or festivals to create memories, and it even transforms into a large parking lot for vehicles. However, it is disappointing that due to safety concerns, the area becomes inaccessible to the public, turning into a black hole in the neighborhood at night or on weekends. Thankfully, the space no longer needs to be closed off, breaking down the walls to provide citizens with a breath of fresh air in the city's open space. While there are open spaces like Gwanghwamun Square, Gyeongbokgung Palace, and the Seoul Branch of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art nearby, standing at the former main entrance of the school and looking out over the playground would still be preferable. Just imagining the area filled with buildings instead of being an open space is suffocating. The existence of such a wide open space in the city makes our lives more pleasant, and it's hard not to appreciate the birth of this place. The entrance to the building connected to Pungmoon Girls' High School, now the 'Seoul Crafts Museum', didn't feel claustrophobic thanks to the unobstructed view.