Anjwa Island Project Floating Museum
Floating Museum ( tentative name )
Intertwining art and architectural disciplines, this project features seven cubes floating on the reservoir which represent the collection of islands in the western Jeollanam-Do Province as well as the number of continents on the earth. These different-sized cubes reflect and imitate the surrounding scenery, while creating a dreamlike quality, disorienting place and time through their multiple reflections. Inside each cube are artworks representing and displaying the history of the Korean peninsula – the easternmost place on the Eurasian continent.
Yukinori Yanagi
Project background
Shinan County is located in Dadohae, Jeolla-do, at the southwesternmost end of Korea, consisting of a total of 1,004 islands including 72 manned islands and 932 uninhabited islands. The county is called “Angel Islands” because “1004” is pronounced the same as “Angel” in Korean. It is completely made up of islands with a combined population of 30,000 people. Discovered off the coast of Shinan in 1976, the sunken ship called “Shinan Ship” was discovered to be a trading ship connecting the city of Qingyuan (present day Ningbo) in China and Hakata in Japan in 1323. This proved that the sea of Shinan was a channel for the mutual exchange of people, things, culture, and technology for many generations.
Previously, the only way to travel from Mokpo on the mainland to each island was by boat, but with the opening of the 10.8km-long “1004 Bridge” in 2019, more and more people are able to access the islands by car. Shinan’s sea area is about 70 times larger than the land area, and the largest mudflats in Korea are present here. The mudflats are a treasure trove of endangered species and are registered as UNESCO Natural Heritage sites. It also has a rich natural landscape, including a vast salt field where more than 88% of the natural salt, considered the highest grade of salt in Korea, is produced. Despite the many natural attractions, Shinan County continues to deal with the challenges of a low birth rate and an aging population due to the concentration of young people in Seoul and other metropolitan areas. To bring more attention to the area the project “ONE ISLAND, ONE MUSEUM” was founded in 2010.
Diplomacy between Korea and Japan began in 1375, when Yoshimitsu Ashikaga, the third shogun of the Muromachi shogunate, sent a diplomatic mission “Joseon Tongsinsa” to the then-ruling Goryeo Dynasty. After that, although repeatedly suspended and resumed, the mission was held about 12 times up to 1811, maintaining peaceful and friendly relations between the two countries and contributing to cultural development. Hoshu Amenomori, a Korean diplomat of Tsushima Domain who helped to negotiate between Japan and Korea stated in his book “Seishin no Majiwari” that “Seishin means we will not deceive or fight each other, but to interact truthfully” as he believed the importance of diplomacy to be a deep understanding of each other’s customs and culture.
Hyoungkee Kang, the executive director of the Anjwa Island Project was drawn to Yanagi’s work at the Inujima Seireisho Art Museum while researching similar work with an emphasis on the unique climate of the archipelago and the ties between Japan and Korea. Respecting Yanagi’s idea that there is no point in making a “box” without a soul, the new plan for “FLOATING MUSEUM” and the surrounding art site was born.
During the 6 year planning, this project has been delayed significantly from its original schedule due to worsening diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan and the Covid-19 pandemic, but construction is scheduled to be completed this Spring. The long-awaited museum – the second architectural project for the artist since Inujima – will open to the public in 2025.
Anjwa Island Project
Executive Director:Hyoungkee Kang
Artistic Director:Yukinori Yanagi
Design:YANAGI + ART BASE
Director/Artist : Yukinori Yanagi
Architect:Toru Kashihara
Cinematographer:Road Izumiyama
Project management:YANAGI STUDIO
ー
Architectural Collaboration:SPACE GROUP
Coodinator:Hzone
Contractor:Young Chang Construction Co.
Pontoon:BLUE OCEAN TECH Co.
Icarus Cell Collaboration:GEEUMPLUS
Icarus Cell Fabrication:MBK KOREA Co. Ltd. / C2 Artechnolozy Co., Ltd.
Lighting Design:STUDIO FORMGIVER
Wandering Salt Fabrication:Salt Hill / ART & FORMATIME
Supporting Videographer:KUNST
About Anjwa Island
Anjwa Island was originally created by reclaiming the mudflats between two islands in 1917. It is the largest island in Shinan, with a total area of 59.88km and a population of roughly 3,000 people. It serves as a transportation center connecting the other islands in Shinan County. Originally, Anjwa Island had many high mountains and no plains, but through large-scale reclamation projects areas for rice farms and salt fields were created. Anjwa Island is also known as the birthplace of Whanki Kim (1913-1974), a renowned abstract artist in Korea whose house is now a designated national folklore cultural heritage site, and is recognized for its historical and cultural value along with its symbolic context.