Hanji Happenings

Food, wine, discussions on Korean culture and ceremony was the order of the night last evening when the University of South Australia held the official opening ceremony of the 'King Sejong Korean Language Institute' in Adelaide.   There were a wide range of dignitaries  in attendance, many of whom had  flown in from around the country. They included Politicians and Korean Diplomats from Canberra,  Korean Consulate staff from Melbourne and members of the Korean Cultural Centre from Sydney.  There were also University of South Australia  Professors and  Board members of the Australia - Korea Foundation from various States in Australia. The Korean Ambassador to Australia Mr Woo Kyoung-Ha Mr Nigel Roth, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Uni SA and unknown guest I had been invited to  display my Hanji  and it quickly received  keen interest from those in attendance including the Koreans who had little idea there was...

I've recently acquired some different thicknesses of Hanji (paper), cotton and banana, string.  These I'll use on different projects over the next few months as I experiment with some new designs and more contemporary Hanji pieces. I bought the large reels of Hanji string in Seoul during my visit last year and used it to add to this Hanji lamp I made during one of my classes at Jonginamoo and I love it but, I can see so many more possibilities. The cotton string on my shelf I've been using to tiepieces of wire together for forming a shape and before covering it with Hanji. This gorgeous banana string I found in a shop in Melbourne and just had to have it.  The fibres are extremely soft, I'm not sure what process it has gone through but, I'm sure it can be used on a new project !!

Last week one of my students came along to class with a lamp where the shade had been broken and wondered what we could do to make a new one for it. She wanted it to look Art Deco, black and white, not too big and something that threw out plenty of light, all of this  using Hanji techniques.  There's nothing like a new challenge !! ART DECO -  'It is an eclectic style that combines traditional craft motifs with Machine Age imagery and materials. The style is often characterized by rich colours, bold geometric shapes and lavish ornamentation ...... 'During its heyday, Art Deco represented luxury, glamour, exuberance and faith in social and technological progress.. - Wikipedia                                           This was never going to be a t...

I had a query this week from someone who doesn't live in Korea anymore but he's wanting to know how to make this lamp. So in case anyone else was wondering, it's quite a simple process which I will share with you. Get a piece of perspex, or a very sturdy plastic sheet around 2 - 3mm thick and cut into 4 equal sizes, depending on the size of the lamp you want to make. Glue the sides together with an instant glue to make a perfect square and being careful not to get the glue outside of the joins or on your fingers. Paper the perspex using one whole piece to minimize the joins in the paper. Leave to dry. Cut a base out of 3mm thick cardboard so the sides fit into it and it has a small plinth. (Don't forget to put the hole in the base for the electrical fittings). Cut small strips of cardboard for around the outside. One with a hole in it for the electric cord to come out of. Cover the strips of cardboard with different coloured papers. Glue the strips onto ...