"Hexagonal Magic Map" by Ahn Eugene and Yang Ji-su / Courtesy of Korea National University of Heritage
Video game worlds take on new forms in silk, thread and wood in Nexon’s latest cultural collaboration.
Familiar characters and landscapes from the popular Korean titles MapleStory and Dungeon & Fighter have been reimagined through traditional crafts at the hands of students from the Korea National University of Heritage.
Seven works are now on permanent display at the headquarters of Nexon Korea and its subsidiary studio, Neople.
At Nexon Korea’s headquarters, six pieces draw on the imaginative universe of MapleStory: “Panoramic View of the Land of Peach Blossoms,” “Embroidered Five-Colored Pouch,” “Awaken from the Oldest Darkness, a Thousand Years of Sleep,” “Oasis of Light,” “Under the Maple Tree” and “Monster Norigae.”
"Embroidered Five-Colored Pouch" by Kim Na-yeon / Courtesy of Korea National University of Heritage
At Neople’s office, a single work inspired by Dungeon & Fighter — “Hexagonal Magic Map” — is on view.
The project grew out of the Nexon Foundation’s “Borderless” arts support initiative. Last November, the foundation and the university joined forces on the exhibition “BORDERLESS: Opening the Portal to the World of Tradition,” staged at Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul. The show gathered around 60 works by students exploring how time-honored heritage techniques might converse with contemporary imagination.
All seven pieces can also be viewed online through theBorderless website.
Source: Korea Times News
