2009 OIP International Photo Contest- Winning Photographs from Korea

On Thursday, November 19, 2009 in Fisher Family Commons in the CGIS Kanfel Building, the winners of the annual OIP Photo Contest were chosen.  Winning photographs will remain on exhibit there until December 17th. Do check out these amazing photographs from around the world!

There were four winning photographs taken by students who spent time in Korea! Congratulations to the winners!

The four winning Korea photographs are in the order listed below:

1. Sense of Place, 3d place, Heejin Hwang, " Seeking Hands"
This is a picture of my grandmother in her room, refusing to take anymore photographs. It’s a typical room in any Korean apartment building—square, beige, and not too big. And yet every corner of the room is filled, mostly with my grandmother’s own handiwork. The Bible verses hanging on the wall are all written by my grandmother, and some of the clothes lying about and in the shelves are handmade by my grandmother for the elderly members of her church. The sewing machine in the back attests to her busy hands. Every new project she takes on is just another way for her to serve. My grandmother is a devout Christian whose faith in God determines all aspects of her life.
2. Sense of Place, Honorable Mention, Joa Alexander, "All Smiles and Charms"
These cell phone charms could not but help grab my attention when I first saw them.  I think they really capture a small but defining aspect of cell phone culture in Korea that one does not find as readily in the US: that is, the use of unique cell phone accessories to personalize one’s phone.  The charms may even be larger and heavier than the phone itself, but everyone has got to have them!
3. Korea Institute Prize, Anita Joseph, "Which Came First? The Night Lights of Dongaemun"
The night lights of Dongdaemun, a major market in Seoul, are pictured above the trees surrounding Cheonggyecheon, a man-made stream that runs through the heart of Seoul. Cheonggyecheon was created in 2005 as a space of peace and tranquility to buffer against the hectic nature of modern Seoul. Such a breakneck pace of life is epitomized in Dongdaemun, which is composed of miles of shopping towers and street stalls. The irony is that Cheonggyecheon has now become a promenade for the latest fashions and trends of Seoul. Young people go to Cheonggyecheon to watch what their peers are wearing, and then go to Dongdaemun Market and buy it. It raises a chicken-and-egg type question: do modern needs engender a need for social space, or does social space engender modern needs?
4. Korea Institute Prize, Honorable Mention, Salvador Alejo, "The Pavilion of Far Reaching Fragrance"
Hyangwonjeon (향원정) is a small, two-story hexagonal pavilion constructed on an artificial islet on the north end of Gyeongbokgung (경복궁), the main and largest palace built by the Joseon Dynasty. Hyangwonjeon and the palace are symbols of power and elegance of Korea’s past. The palace is also a symbol of national sovereignty, having been subject to demolition during the Japanese occupation of the peninsula. Hyangwonjeon is one of the important structures found at Gyeonbokgung.  Hyangwonjeong was created when King Gojong built Geoncheonggung (건천궁), a private royal residence that served as living quarters for the king and queen, in 1873.  Hyangwonjeon loosely translates as “Pavilion of Far-Reaching Fragrance”. In this picture, you are looking at the pavilion from the south looking towards the north.  One can see the wooden pavilion surrounded by a pond on the islet. Since the number “six” symbolizes water, a pavilion near water was usually built in a hexagonal shape.  In addition, one can see the reconstructed Chwihyanggyo (취향교) bridge, translating as “Bridge Intoxicated with Fragrance”. This bridge once stood on the north end of the islet but reconstructed on the southern end of the islet after its destruction by the Japanese occupation.