April already ended, but May started with a Korean vibe! May 1st and 3rd are national holidays in Poland (Labor Day and Constitution Day), and that means no work or school. That is why many people could enjoy a 5-day long weekend. Many go on trips, camps, or just leave a city to spend some leisure time with their friends or family. But those who stayed in Warsaw could still enjoy many events in the city or around it.
One of the events held was the <Hanji, Onggi, Breath> exhibition, located at PAN Botanical Garden in Powsin, one hour away by bus from Warsaw. It took place from 1st to 5th of May, just like the long holidays. The PAN Botanical Garden is a beautiful place itself for sight-seeing and a relaxing walk, as you can find many beautiful plants, flowers and trees. It was a time of azalea full bloom, so the garden was covered in bright colors. But what made it even more interesting at the time was a Korean festival. First, it is worth mentioning that the whole event was done in collaboration with the Hanji Art&Culture Foundation in Wonju and ONGGI Poland-Korea Cultural Association. The main point was an exhibition about Hanji - a Korean traditional paper. It provided both artistic enjoyment and knowledge about the art of Hanji making. It described the importance of Hanji in old times, when it was used to make almost everything, with clothes or potty included; or the various techniques of making Hanji products, like Saek-ji (decorating with sticking), Ji-seung (form of plaiting) and Ji-ho (shaping with a mold). My favorites were the dolls depicting everyday life scenes - women wearing hanbok and making kimchi with their children, and men working on making Hanji. Even though everything is made from paper, the details looks so cute and realistic at the same time, like clothes they wore or the vegetables they were cutting, all looked so real and natural, not like paper at all.
Workshops related to the exhibition were also held. My favorite was the Hanji making workshop. With the help of master Jang Eung-yul, from the Hanji Art&Culture Foundation in Wonju, everyone could try making their own Hanji. Children usually picked heart shape, but I went for a traditional sheet of paper. The process started with rinsing the fiber with a picked mold and getting out the excessive water, then ironing the paper flat and leaving it to dry. All those steps we could do ourselves, with tips from teachers from Wonju. It was not only fun to do, but very satisfying to make my own paper. The other workshops included decorating accessories made of Hanji, linocut workshops with master Kim Seok-hwan, or dancheong workshops with master Jo Do-hwi.
Additionally, visitors could also buy some Korean accessories made of Hanji, like fans, posters or decorative boxes, but also try Korean drinks and food. What’s important to mention, is the fact that the food was made using kimchi from the Botanical Garden. Burdened last year in autumn, it was dug out specially for this occasion. Visitors could also watch mini-cooking shows and try freshly made, hot kimchi-jeon or watch traditional tea ceremony and taste the drink.
The <Hanji> presented in the form of exhibition and workshops, the <Onggi> presented in the traditional jars, locally made kimchi and food, and the <Breath> presented in the garden itself and the relaxing aura of the city-break. For me, this event was a great way to spend a day outside of the city, and at the same time learn something new about the culture of Korea.
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