[AS A MATTER OF CRAFT] 'Hanji is part of Korean DNA': Craftsman illuminates merits of traditional art

Korean designer Kwon Jung-mo creates unique light fixtures using traditional Korean hanji paper, showcasing its versatility and promoting the material's significance in Korean culture and art.

″Layers Circle″ series installation (2020) by Kwon Jung-mo [KWON JUNG-MO]

Editor's note: An old cultural genre in Korea has been gaining new recognition on the global stage: crafts. From finalists at the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize to featured artists in numerous exhibitions overseas, the crafts of Korean artists have, as a matter of fact, become reputable works of art. In this series, the Korea JoongAng Daily interviews contemporary craftspeople who each specialize in a certain medium that uniquely represents the prestige of Korean tradition and culture.

A close-up of Kwon Jung-mo's folded hanji (traditional Korean mulberry paper) that the designer uses in his lightings [KWON JUNG-MO]

When the Louvre announced in 2017 that it had completed restoring an 18th-century desk that had belonged to King Maximilian II of Bavaria, who reigned from 1848-64, a small country on the other side of the world celebrated the accomplishment.

For the very first time, the Parisian national museum had used hanji, or traditional Korean mulberry paper, to bring an old relic back to life, as the material was deemed outstandingly well fit to fill the cracks in the furniture, paintings and sculptures.

“The fact that renowned museums are using hanji to restore ancient works proves that it is globally recognized as the best paper to use,” Kwon Jung-mo, a designer who specializes in hanji light fixtures, told the Korea JoongAng Daily in an interview last month.

Hanji is made from the white inner bark of mulberry trees, called dak. The process is highly intensive and time-consuming, involving peeling the outer bark, boiling the inner bark and leaving it out to dry for a long time. The strenuous process is, however, what makes hanji so reputable in terms of durability, insulation, ventilation and waterproofness.

It is unknown exactly when hanji first emerged, but historical records estimate that it goes as far back as the Three Kingdoms era (57 B.C. – A.D. 668). Since then, it’s been used to record documents and even in hanok, or traditional Korean houses, to make changho (windows and doors), which were made from semitransparent hanji bolstered by wooden grids.

An example of traditional changho (windows and doors) is shown here in a scene from MBC's historical drama series ″The Red Sleeve″ (2021-22). Changho were made from semitransparent hanji (traditional Korean mulberry paper) bolstered by wooden grids. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Though hanji is no longer used in modern homes and people have opted for cheaper, mass-produced copy paper, hanij’s versatility proves that it can still have an upgraded and refined purpose — with Kwon’s paper light covers.

A common notable quality in Kwon’s works is that the lampshades or covers are made by folding hanji, like origami, a countless number of times, or laminating the papers to increase their thickness. These are all ways to subtly play with the light.

The 41-year-old designer may not make the actual hanji himself, because that's a separate field of expertise all on its own, but he says that the practice of folding is in itself an act of craftsmanship.

“My works do use a traditional material, but the method I use to create them is not entirely traditional. Rather, it's one that I developed elaborately on my own,” Kwon said. “It’s all about putting my heart into every fold and being involved in every step of the process.”

″The Balvenie Edition Lamp″ (2022) by Kwon Jung-mo, part of Kwon's collaboration project with the whiskey brand [KWON JUNG-MO]

Kwon has worked with the Korea Craft and Design Foundation (KCDF) for exhibitions and has teamed up with whiskey brand The Balvenie, clothing brand Lebeige, local cafe branch Camel Coffee and the Seoul Museum of Art for collaborations and shows.

His identity varies depending on the project: He can be a designer, a craftsperson, an artist or a companion to his trusty Alaskan Malamute sidekick Maree, who sticks by his side in his studio in Seodaemun District, western Seoul. But he doesn’t mind what people call him because, in the end, it’s the hanji that truly matters.

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Designer Kwon Jung-mo specializes in hanji (traditional Korean mulberry paper) lightings. [KWON JUNG-MO]

Q. What first gave you the idea to use hanji to create light fixtures?A. I first became interested in hanji in 2013, after I visited Jeonju for a workshop organized by the KCDF. I had already been thinking of what traditional material I wanted to utilize since I’m Korean and I’ve also always wanted to help promote Korean culture to the world. After learning about hanji through the workshop, I thought it would be an interesting material to work with. I started using hanji in full swing in 2017, so you could say that it took four years for me to decide what exactly I was going to do with hanji.

I settled on making interior lighting after I got inspiration from the windows of hanok to express the different nuances of light, like the shades and color temperature, that hanji is capable of eliciting.

″Layers Pendant L100″ (2017) by Kwon Jung-mo [KWON JUNG-MO]

How does hanji do the job? If you visit a hanok and look at its windows, you’ll see that the hanji, being semitransparent, allows a sufficient amount of sunlight to come into the house. At night, it’s the opposite: The light from inside the house can be seen from outside, which I found fascinating.

The fact that hanji has outstanding light penetrability is what makes it stand out from regular paper, because it means that the light that passes through isn’t blinding to the eyes and instead provides a feeling of warmth and comfort. It also tends to last longer because it’s tougher and has better absorptivity.

Designer Kwon Jung-mo works in his studio in Seodaemun District, western Seoul. [KWON JUNG-MO]

What is the general process of making a hanji light fixture adornment? I start with the design and structural plans, and then evenly space out and mark the lines to guide my folding. It’s like origami. If I need to alter the shape of the hanji, I cut it after I finish folding; otherwise, the ends will end up pointy and rough.

I’ve been studying how the light penetration or color temperature varies according to the thickness of the hanji, and focused on reinterpreting the material based on the layers of their pleats. It’s also important that I emphasize hanji entirely on its own, which is why instead of pasting it onto other materials like cardboard, I combine and layer the hanji together to make them sturdier. I do use metal frameworks to frame the hanji for a more durable finish.

″LF04″ (2020) by Kwon Jung-mo, part of his ″Layers Floor Lamp″ series [KWON JUNG-MO]

What is your daily routine like? It depends on my schedule, but usually I work in my studio from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. I take Maree out for a walk around the neighborhood about three times a day. I don’t necessarily have a work-life balance, but I don’t mind since it’s my work and I think it’s important that I work hard now to have a better future. I think this is also an advantage to being a freelancer — I can control my working hours. I can even visit exhibitions during the weekdays while everyone else is at work, or I can start work at a later time. I prefer this lifestyle because I don’t like being stuck in large crowds of people on the weekends.

A collection of colorful scraps of folded hanji (traditional Korean mulberry paper) that were stashed in a drawer at designer Kwon Jung-mo's studio in Seodaemun District, western Seoul [SHIN MIN-HEE]

Why is it important to promote hanji crafts? To me, it’s not the crafts made from hanji that are important — it’s more meaningful to promote the material. Hanji is part of Korean DNA that no other culture has, which is why it helps us produce unique crafts and artwork. I’ve also heard from actual hanji makers that the number of local mulberry trees have been plummeting, so I’ve always thought that if the demand for hanji increases, people will understand the value of domestic mulberry more.

″Window″ series (2023) by Kwon Jung-mo, part of the Seoul Museum of Art's collection [KWON JUNG-MO]

What message do you want to convey through your crafts? I would say that my work is the result of the every breath of a perseverant craftsperson. I want them to be perceived as not just objects with a practical purpose, but something that can be comforting by their mere existence and be appreciated by whoever uses them. Working on the lightings may be difficult, but I always find consolation after I finish making them. The biggest merit to crafts is that they can’t be easily imitated.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]