The Seoul Museum of Art has chosen “architecture” as the focal theme for its 2024 exhibition agenda, aligning this decision with significant institutional transformations, including the opening of a new branch and the renovation of the Seosomun Main Branch, seeking to explore the domain of architecture from a multidimensional perspective. A key part of the initiative is to open the exhibition titled Architecture, Space Time Scenarios, which offers a contemplative examination of architecture with an emphasis on the concept of “time.”
We at SeMA have been led to reflect on the life cycle of architecture amidst the ongoing remodeling of not only the SeMA but also other prestigious museums at home and abroad, along with the redevelopment and reconstruction projects transforming urban landscapes. In the fields of law, public administration, and economics, which exert a direct influence on the processes of constructing, utilizing, and dismantling buildings, the categorization of a building’s life cycle typically revolves around considerations of safety, cost, and environmental impact. Nonetheless, should we conceptualize architecture as an entity that evolves through a myriad of relationships and experiences, akin to human existence, its vigor cannot solely be assessed through tangible phases such as “new construction.” It is because architecture is intricately intertwined with human life, and the vibrancy of architectural forms varies in pace and dimension, influenced by the intensity of its interactions.