About this Event
DATE: 25 January 2025 (Saturday)
VENUE: DLT Lecture Theatre (Ground Floor of SOAS Main Building)
This is a free and open event.
Prior registration is required.
This workshop examines the history and significance of Korean objects held in UK institutions, and their role in shaping contemporary understandings of Korean cultural heritage. Beginning in the 1880s, institutions acquired a wide variety of items from the Korean peninsula, ranging in type from ceramics, paintings, and textiles, to books and plant specimens. The workshop highlights the acquisition and display histories of these artefacts, focusing on the contributions of lesser-known collectors and often overlooked objects to offer fresh perspectives on Korean collections in the UK. It also examines the interconnected nature of these collections by analysing cross-institutional acquisition patterns. Building on prior research, the workshop provides new insights into UK-Korea relations and the broader role of cultural objects in shaping national representation and identity.
This workshop is funded by the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation (OKCHF), and forms part of a 12-month research project led by Charlotte Horlyck titled Collecting Korea, 1880-1930: A Provenance Research Project of Early Korean Collections in UK Institutions.
12:00 Registration and lunch (Room G3, next to DLT)
12:45 Opening speech
Charlotte Horlyck (SOAS)
Haengri Cho (OKCHF)
13:00 Presentation 1
Beth McKillop (Victoria and Albert Museum)
William Tapp, England's First Enthusiast for Joseon Porcelain
13:30 Presentation 2
Jiyeon Wood (Cambridge University Library)
Collecting and Connecting Korea at Cambridge
14:00 Presentation 3
Charlotte Horlyck
What to Buy and Where? An Exploration of Sales of Korean Artefacts in the Late 19th-Early 20th Century
14:30 Tea and coffee break
15:00 Presentation 4
Seunghye Sun and Jaemin Cha (Korean Cultural Centre UK)
Fantasy-Reality: Personalizing Digital Heritage for the 21st Century
Exhibiting the Present of the Past
15:30 Presentation 5
Erin Messenger and Gayathri Anand (Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew)
A Cross-Collection Approach to Researching Korean Cultural Heritage at Kew
16:00 Presentation 6
Jess Son (SOAS, University of London)
British Consumption of Korean Landscape through Travel
16:30 Open discussion and concluding remarks
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
SOAS University of London, 10 Thornhaugh Street, London, United Kingdom
USD 0.00
