ESRC Fieldtrip – Art and Soft Power in the UK and South Korea
Dr Charlotte Horlyck is leading an ESRC-funded research project titled “Art and Soft Power in the UK and South Korea – examining the role and impact of Korean artefacts in museum settings.” The project examines the role and impact of Korean art and artefacts in the formulation of soft power and development of UK-South Korea relations, and questions how acquisitions and displays of Korean objects in museums in Korea and Britain are influenced by and in turn shape UK-South Korea public diplomacy and soft power agendas.
As part of the research project, five SOAS PhD students participated in a fieldtrip to Seoul, South Korea to visit Korean museums, study their collections and displays, meet museum professionals and academics, and attend the Seoul conference that was co-organised by SOAS, the Overseas Cultural Heritage Foundation, and Ewha Womans University, Seoul. The trip also enabled students to network will fellow research students based in Seoul and to present to them their doctoral research.
Student Review
I was so excited to join the ESRC fieldtrip to Seoul! Dr Charlotte Horlyck and Dr Jess Son invited five PhD candidates from the School of Arts, and I was very fortunate to be included. We spent a week together in Seoul, meeting students and academics at Ewha Women’s University to discuss the role art and artefacts play in Soft Power between Britain and South Korea. During one event the SOAS PhD candidates each presented about our research, this was a wonderful opportunity to share our ideas and receive feedback from our Ewha colleagues, especially during informal networking later over lunch.
Throughout the week we visited many art galleries and museums and had the opportunity to view a wide range of artworks and artefacts. As we were a small group everyone could participate actively in discussions, and I learnt so much about Korean arts and museums. We also met local curators and had the opportunity to visit a ceramic artist in her studio to learn about her practice. These experiences gave me insight into the South Korean art world and helped me to develop skills that are relevant to my own fieldwork activities with contemporary artists. The week culminated in a conference at Ewha Women’s University, where we had the opportunity to watch presentations by eminent academics concerning Korean arts and Soft Power.
The field trip was a fantastic networking opportunity and I loved spending time with students and academics from SOAS and Ewha, discussing subjects that we are all so passionate about. I feel that it helped me to develop as an academic in so many ways, and it was also a very enjoyable and happy week.
