Cool Friend: Jen Shin
Cool Project: Way Home
I was an
architecture major for my first year of college. I was in love with the design
aspect and history behind it rather than the actual creation of it, though I
would not realize this until the end of that school year. In that time, I made
many friends I still speak to today. We were a class of about 20 at Drexel
University, and shared the studio space with 20 or so sophomores a year above
us. One of those a year ahead was Jen Shin.
Jen was always
friendly, but I didn’t really get to know her until after I had left the
architecture program to pursue a communications degree at Temple University.
She became roommates with one of my best friends in the program, and Jen and I
got closer every time I visited their apartment. I remember one night in
particular when she taught me how to make sushi rolls, we downed margaritas,
and chatted the night away. No iPhones, no Facebook, no TV. Simple, communal, fun and thoughtful. Jen is
the same way. I say all this because in order to fully understand an artwork,
one must understand the hand that crafts it.
This past June,
Jen received Drexel University’s Michael
Pearson Memorial Award
for her work on
her Senior Thesis, Way Home: A Compound for [North] Korean Pilgrims in Seoul.
The project, which can be viewed HERE in detail, embodies everything that I
have come to know about Jen. It offers a welcoming atmosphere for those in
need. It is as its title says: a place for North Korean migrants to live and
commune as they transition into their new homeland of South Korea.
The Korean War
(1950-1953) resulted in the development of two different countries along what
was called the 38th Parallel, a military border between them. Even
now, 60 years later, families in both countries are still hearing the echoes of
the war. Today, many in North Korea leave the country for reasons such as
hunger and political disagreement. These people, called defectors, come to
South Korea and are brought into an arguably rigorous immigration process.
There are many differences between living in North and South Korea, the main
one being that North Korea has more communal living because of its government.
As Jen explains in her thesis, many are not used to freedom and privacy that
the Republic of South Korea offers. Some are uncomfortable with it, and prefer
to visit one another’s dwellings extremely often once in South Korea. Jen’s
project offers a mixture of both countries’ cultures, as well as a more smooth
transition into the defectors’ new nation.
Jen’s concept
for this balance is brilliant yet simple. Way Home is a series of structures
that intertwine with one another, and have moving walls and doors that allow
for both privacy and community. There
are of course homes, but there are also gardens, paths, galleries, and other
areas that make it a mixture between a humble apartment complex and upscale
dormitory. The same year I was studying architecture, I lived in Myers Hall at
Drexel. Our dorm was three stories tall, with a courtyard in the center and two
wings. The first floor was all arts students. Doors were open all day and
night, music was played while paintings were created and while hot dogs were
grilled outside. It was a community more than individual dorm rooms. That is
what I imagine Way Home to be, if were I to walk into it.
Jen states that
“the buildings in Way Home are merely ingredients, guests that pull up to the
table, to partake in a shared plate. This nowness, this presentness, is exactly
what makes this thing tick.”
The location and
construction of the project additionally make it a balance between city and
nature. Located in the outskirts of Seoul, it lies in a valley between two
hills. The structures are made of wood with green roofs, making it almost blend
in to the scenery, not to hide it from the world, but more to encompass its
natural beauty. This blending is symbolic to the blurred line between
architecture and art.
“I view art and architecture
as one continuum,” Jen says. “I believe that as artists, it is our job and
privilege to create work that contributes to the collective human project.”
Though Jen’s
design is visually brilliant, its functionality to me is far more important. It
is a place for people to live. And
truly live, not just sleep and eat. That human aspect is exactly what I have
learned from Jen as an artist and friend.
“I would indeed love to see
this project become a reality in South Korea, and am currently working on
creating a more complete booklet of Way Home to send to various organizations
and groups. I'd like my work and career to focus on creating architecture and
design that enables its users to enjoy a fully present existence while
sustaining a spirit of genuine discovery within its process.”
- Jen Shin
