UNEARTHED ISLAND

“Unearthed Island” explores the unique stone culture in Jeju island of South Korea and presents reinterpreted collections inspired by the stories of making full use of given volcanic materials by the Jeju people.

Jeju, a volcanic island formed in the Cenozoic Era, has over 90 percent of its land covered with volcanic rocks and ash. Adapting to the harsh landscape where the rocky terrain made farming extremely difficult, Jeju people have developed unique cultural traditions distinct from mainland Koreans. As it was often said that the Jeju people were born out of stone and return to stone, the lava stones have been both a part of their lives and something to be overcome.

Ae Office, an industrial design studio exploring local cultures through the eyes of a stranger, has spent the past two years in Jeju, collecting stories surrounding the culture of a volcanic island and how people have coexisted with the volcanic stones and soil.

Together with Jeju iiin, a Jeju-based content curation magazine, the exhibition illuminates stories excavated from Jeju island and introduces two series of collections using culture on the lava stones as a material: a collection of objects made from locally sourced volcanic clay using traditional earthenware technique 'Jeju Onggi', as well as a set of stools inspired by the endless basalt stone walls around the island piled up for various purposes.

Ae Office is a design studio run by Hee Choi and Myung Nyun Kim based in Berlin. They intentionally immerse themselves in unfamiliar environments to explore unique contexts and materials found across urban and rural settings. Beginning their journey from Seoul in 2021, moving to the volcanic island of Jeju, and currently based in Berlin, the duo draws inspiration from objects embedded in their environment. Experimenting through collaging stories, modes of expression and local materials from different locales, they translate their collected inspiration into furniture and home objects.