Seongdong-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Korean media company SILO Lab and media designer Kim Gaeul are the creators of the media façade for the tallest building in South Korea, the Lotte World Tower by Kohn Pederson Fox PC., which is one of the most iconic towers and the largest media campaigns since 2017.
The project has developed its specialized branding as an urban gallery, therefore, has been awarded a prestigious 2021 Good Design Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
In 2020, the project developed for Lotte Property & Development had three main goals as an urban gallery in response to global issues and social demands.
As the fireworks perform as a symbol of happiness and celebration, the tower is known for its annual fireworks events.
However, the event was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic and there was an attempt to digitize it to the media art.
As the event was planned, the fireworks media art would be transmitted every May.
Beginning with the strobe effect, “Fireworks” plays its role as an hourly time signal, and with various colors and fire effects, it aroused the festive mood of the city.
This 555-meter tall architecture became a gigantic object.
Dubbed “Golden Sparkling,” the design is based on the idea of the shape of the tower resembling a champagne bottle.
It visualized the splendidness of the champagne party and consisted of the story of the party from bottle opening to sipping Champagne.
Sparkling bubbles move along the vertical shapes of the tower and form the shape of the champagne bottle.
The tower figured out the way to support the community as a media facade: spread the hope via the media art.
“Rainbow of Hope” consisted of rainbow colors which have been considered as signs of thank you, hope, and solidarity.
The artwork symbolized a message of support and solidarity amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
In South Korea, May is known as “the Month of Appreciation.”
In celebration of this month, the “Warm Heart” project has commenced.
It showed various forms and shapes of hearts and motions from heartbeat to Cupid’s Arrow.
It enabled the public to take the moment of hearts and spread them to their lovers.
Project: 2020 Lotte World Tower Media Façade
Designers: Kim Gaeul, SILO Lab.
Manufacturer: Lotte Property & Development
