A programme inviting people to listen to music and meditate while watching the sky grow dark from the rooftop of Seoul’s Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) is set to take place. The Seoul Design Foundation said on the 12th that it will run 12 Sunset Tours on the DDP rooftop over six weeks, from 16 October to 21 November, every Friday and Saturday. Fridays will feature live music, while Saturdays will be devoted to singing-bowl meditation.
Saturdays: a chance to focus on your breath and senses to the sound of singing bowls
The meditation sessions take place on Saturdays. Participants focus on their breathing and bodily sensations as they listen to the sound of singing bowls. Bora will lead the sessions on 17, 24 and 31 October, and Jeong Yu-seon on 7, 14 and 21 November.
Singing-bowl meditation is a relatively accessible way in for people who find the idea of sitting still and emptying their minds daunting. Rather than being told to stop, participants can simply follow the sounds as they reach their ears. For someone whose attention has been pulled all day by screens and notifications, setting it down on a single sound can be a good first step into meditation.
Live performances on the rooftop on Fridays
Singer-songwriters and a flautist will perform on the rooftop on Fridays. Mun Sang-hui will appear on 16 October and 13 November; QRIM on 23 October and 20 November; and flautist Lee Seul-gi on 30 October and 6 November. The performances will also be streamed live on a large screen in DDP’s Eoullim Plaza.
Each session lasts 90 minutes; start times differ in October and November
Each tour lasts 90 minutes. In October, it runs from 4.30pm to 6pm; in November, from 4pm to 5.30pm.
The fee is 50,000 won per person. Places can be booked in advance on the DDP website, and, if any remain, applications will also be accepted on site from 20 minutes before the start. Guidance is provided in Korean and English at the same time, so international visitors can take part too.
When an architectural space becomes a setting for meditation
Cha Kang-hee, chief executive of the Seoul Design Foundation, said the foundation would expand the architectural value of DDP into cultural content that visitors and tourists can experience for themselves.
The idea that meditation belongs only in quiet retreat centres or mountain temples still persists. This tour brings together music, sunset and sound meditation on top of a landmark building in the heart of Seoul. It offers a glimpse of how meditation, combined with design, architecture and performance, can become part of everyday urban life.
The provision of guidance in both Korean and English is also noteworthy. For international visitors to Seoul, the chance to experience a Korean meditation programme in the heart of the city could be a small point of connection between Korean meditation and the wider world. For those who find seated meditation daunting, or who would like to try meditation in a more relaxed way alongside a performance, a Saturday afternoon at sunset could be a chance to discover what suits them.
#meditation #singingbowlmeditation #soundmeditation #DDP #sunsettour #urbanmeditation #SeoulDesignFoundation #meditationevent