The entities that have led regional change through the Cheonan Oryong District Urban Regeneration Project are conveying a special message at Gallery H of Hyundai Department Store Kintex Branch. The upcycle art exhibition ‘PLASTIC REBORN – The Infinite value of plastic material’, running until April 30, breathes artistic life into discarded plastic plastic material, shedding new light on the value of resource circulation. This exhibition offers deep insights into environmental problem-solving by bringing together local efforts and art.
The Encounter of Urban Regeneration and art: The Beginning of the ‘PLASTIC REBORN’ Exhibition
The movement dreaming of sustainable change in Cheonan Oryong District meets the public on a new stage, Hyundai Department Store. This exhibition, planned through the collaboration of ‘Dasi Bitnanun Cooperative’, which has spearheaded the Oryong District Urban Regeneration Project, and ‘Our Neighborhood Plastic Research Institute (hereinafter referred to as Plalab)’, which has continued local resource circulation research, focuses on changing perceptions of discarded resource and bestowing new value. In particular, it visually presents the importance of resource circulation through the process of easily accessible plastic bottle caps being reborn as art works.
This exhibition will run until April 30 (Thursday) at Gallery H on the 9th floor of Hyundai Department Store Kintex Branch, and is expected to be a good opportunity to show how environmental protection and regional activation efforts initiated in Oryong District can be sublimated into culture art. It is anticipated that local efforts being introduced in a popular and highly accessible space like a department store gallery will help convey the message of resource circulation to more people and foster consensus.
The Infinite value Contained in plastic material: Participating Entities and Artistic World
The ‘PLASTIC REBORN’ exhibition is the result of key entities in Oryong District’s urban regeneration joining forces. Dasi Bitnanun Cooperative (Chairman Lee Jeong-sik) played a central role in planning the exhibition, and Plalab, which has researched local resource circulation through the Oryong District vacant store support project, was responsible for collection and processing, contributing to the procurement of actual materials. This collaboration among various local entities, leveraging their respective expertise to create sustainable value, is a significant feature of this exhibition.
Particularly noteworthy is the participation of local artists. Five teams of artists, including Lee Ji-su, Park Joo-eun, and Chairman Lee Jeong-sik, who previously worked together in the Alley Commercial District Development Council, created their works in their unique ways using upcycled plastic collected and processed by Plalab. Each discarded plastic material is transformed into an art work with diverse forms and meanings through the artists’ hands, sensuously demonstrating the potential of plastic waste and its infinite transformation value. This conveys the true value of upcycling, beyond simple recycling.
The harmony of Regional Coexistence and Environmental Message
Lee Jong-young, CEO of Plalab, stated, ‘Just as a small plastic material is reborn as a work of art, I hope that the value of resource circulation, initiated in Oryong District, continues to create new value.’ This statement encapsulates the exhibition’s core message and embodies the hope that small efforts started in Oryong District will lead to greater social change beyond the local area. Through the exhibition, visitors can directly witness the process of discarded resources being sublimated into art, simultaneously feeling the necessity and beauty of resource circulation.
This exhibition demonstrates that urban regeneration projects can be an important medium for strengthening the cultural capabilities of local communities and raising social awareness of environmental issues, beyond simple physical environmental improvement. Anyone can view it for free during Gallery H’s operating hours at Hyundai Department Store Kintex Branch, thus increasing accessibility and providing an opportunity for more citizens to encounter this special message and deeply reflect on the importance of resource circulation. Through this, the two values of regional coexistence and environmental protection create a synergy effect, taking steps towards a sustainable future.
The ‘PLASTIC REBORN’ exhibition is a meaningful outcome born from the combination of Cheonan Oryong District’s urban regeneration efforts and the creativity of local artists. Through the process of discarded bottle caps being reborn as beautiful art works, we realize once again the importance of resource circulation and its infinite value. We hope this exhibition raises social interest in environmental protection and makes a significant contribution to the harmony of value that the local community creates together.
