Hanji Happenings

My twin sister, a Buddhist nun ……… My twin Young Dam when she was younger One of the many highlights of my journey was a visit to the Youngdam Hanji Museum to meet the director Young Dam, a Buddhist Nun who's spent decades making Hanji paper and doing 2D and 3 D Hanji art.  I was impressed that she’d done her research about me before I arrived and knew what work I’d  want to see on this visit but what surprised me the most was that she realized we were the same age and decided that because we both love Hanji and have similar interests we must be ‘Hanji twins’. At first I was a little apprehensive to meet her as my image of a Buddhist nun was of a person who was quiet, genteel and almost ethereal, who obediently went about her daily rituals, never questioning, demanding nor being confronting.   I’m not saying any of those traits are undesirable; in fact I admire them and those that have the willpower to be devotionally serene and obedien...

Korean traditional boudoir crafts ……  As the week was progressing I was brimming with new ideas to incorporate into my Hanji craft and visiting this studio was  no exception. Initially I wondered why they were taking me to see a lady who does sewing but I soon came to realize that we can take ideas from many different directions and adapt them to what we do. I was to visit   the studio of Jeong Yun Suk, a lady who does Korean boudoir crafts gyubang .   Jeong Yun Suk sitting at a hanji table Jeong Yun Suk's studio Jeong Yun Suk was a beautifully gentle soul who spoke softly but with an infectious hint of enthusiasm in her voice.   H er studio was full of many beautiful pieces that she was keen to show me and each piece was obviously made with  lots of love and attention to fine details.   Her interests include bojagi (quilting) and chasu (embroidery) and she also works with Jeong Hyun Ja using naturally dyed fa...

Experimenting with the natural dyeing of Hanji paper, with traditional herbs. The next part of our journey took us to Jeong Hyun Ja’s Natural Indigo dyeing factory in Yeongcheong district. Hyun Ja was a very welcoming lady who opened up her premises for the filming of this documentary and was very happy to share her techniques for dyeing.   She started her business called I.N.D.T (Indigo Natural Dyeing Therapy) around 19 years ago and is hoping to pass it on to her only son, who was ably assisting her on the day. Jeong Hyun Ja is reportedly the first person in South Korea to discover the benefits of environmentally - friendly Indigo Natural dyeing products and has been an ambassador for the natural dyeing of fabrics in her country and overseas. She’s been widely quoted in the local and international media on the subject and talks extensively about POSTECH, the ergonomics Design and Technology laboratories as well as Kyunhee Univer...