User:Vmolle/sandbox/Various light installments in Banpo Hangang Park

Various light installments in Banpo Hangang Park

Banpo Hangang Park is situated at the southern banks of Hangang River between Banpodaegyo Bridge and Dongjakdaegyo Bridge. In the park we can find different sports facilities such as Water Bubble Playground, in-line Hub, soccer field, and also a badminton court and a basketball court. There is also an observatory on the southern end of Dongjakdaegyo that offers a fascinating sight of Gangnam District. There are several cafes where you can joyfully spend your time there or if you want you can also rent a bike. One of the main famous feature of Banpo Hangang Park is Banpodaegyo Bridge. It’s a two-tiered bridge over the Han River that includes the so called “Moonlight Rainbow Fountain”. The Moonlight Rainbow Fountain was inaugurated in September 2008 and has water jets with nearly 10,000 LED lights installed in it that are very dynamic and can move in time to music creating spectacular shows. Whenever the nozzles spout water, the lights illuminate the bridge in a kaleidoscope of different colors which attract many tourists from all over the world throughout the year. In 2008 this fountain was recognized as the world’s longest bridge fountain in the Guinness Book of Records. The Fountain offers spectacular shows every year from April to October which lasts for 15/20 minutes, even though the schedule can vary each month. The peak season is from July to August and usually the time of the shows are 12 pm and 7:30 pm with shows that lasts 15 minutes and at 8 pm, 8:30 pm and 9 pm with a 20 minutes long show. Next to Banpo Hangang Park and the Moonlight Rainbow Fountain there is “Sebitseom Island”, also known as Some Sevit. The word Sebitseom means ‘three shining islands brightening the Hangang River’ and is the world’s first floating cultural space. The island symbolize the life of Seoul citizen and is made up of four structure called respectively Yevit, Gavit, Solvit and Chavit: the first one is a place that screens a variety of video clips and contents meanwhile the other three brightens up the Han River. The last three also embody the process by which a seed 'some solvit' turns into a flower bud 'some chavit' and transforms into a flower in full bloom 'some gavit'. In these four structures people can find wedding halls, Italian restaurants, buffets and cafes, exhibitions, performances and the Gavit one is even used as a marina for yachts and boats. Sebitseom was built to be a landmark of the downtown Seoul where people can enjoy culture contents at the water’s edge. In 2006 Korea received the suggestion to build these islands but only in 2014 they came to light. The construction method is based on the building being constructed on a floating body. The builders have used the "airbag construction method", that has never been used in Korea before, in which they inserted a rubber tube under the structure, pumped air into it, and then moved the structure by rolling the tube. Floating was only completed successfully after a long period of hard work and endeavor by the project team involved. Sebitseom is also known to be a popular spot for nightlife in South Korea and thanks to the colorful and beautiful LED lights that reflect off of the Hangang River, it became a popular filming location for various dramas and movies, such Avengers: Age of Ultron. All the structures are really unique. We have Yevit, which is a media art gallery and has a large LED screen that provides a range of different performances and events on the banks of the Han River. Gavit is an island of performing arts and a space filled with luxurious and elegant light with halls for international conferences, corporate events, banquets and ceremonies and even a cafe with an amazing view over the Han River. Chavit, an island of entertainment, is a space full of bright and splendid joy, here you can enjoy more than 160 types of high-quality dishes and there are also retail shops that makes the experience more relaxing. Solvit is a place full of joy that provides a wide variety of interesting experiences and offers a panoramic view of the Han River making it a good spot where to spend quality time with your friends, family or lover. The island operates daily from 11 am to 10 pm and on the official site you can find the schedule for all of the upcoming events. The Sebitseom Island is not only known to be a nice spot that offers everything you need but is also the location of an Illumination Festival that attract many people every year. The 2nd Some Sevit Illumination Festival took place from December 1, 2019 to March 14, 2020 under the theme “VIVID DREAM — Come True.” The festival has offered to the spectators who visited Some Sevit with friends, family or their loved ones a fancy and vivid experience of lights. About 50 perfect photo zones were installed on the island, along the bridge that connects Some Sevit and Banpo Hangang Park and in the park itself, consisting of light installations in moon, heart, trees or angel shapes featuring an owl-shaped structure as its central attraction and many other photo zones and attractions based on the theme of "following your dreams" to bring about your "life's turning point." Throughout the festival the lights installation were on from 6 pm to midnight with a free admission, giving a magical and dreamy experience. Unfortunately the floating islands was affected by the pandemic situation like everything else and after the pandemic broke out, in April Sebitseom announced the strengthening contactless services to cope the situation. In fact, according to the guidelines of the government for “social distancing”, to the customers was provided only takeout service in order for them to consume food and beverages from Sebitseom at home with safety. For this occasion the Italian restaurant “Isola” introduced a new menu consisting of 3 types of pasta, 2 types of pizza and also free soda and French fries. In addition, Sebitseom took part of the “Thanks Challenge” and showed the gratitude and respect for the medical stuff by running the “Blu lighting Campaign” in which the lighting’s color blue symbolizes the medical stuff and was it shone every Saturday until May 15th.

References

https://english.visitseoul.net/nature/Banpo-Hangang-Park_/29937 https://english.visitseoul.net/events/2020-Sevit-Illumination-Light-Festival_/33066 http://world.seoul.go.kr/some-sevit-illumination-festival/ http://www.somesevit.com/en/index.do https://english.visitseoul.net/attractions/Sebitseom_/24646 https://english.visitseoul.net/attractions/Banpodaegyo-Bridge-Moonlight-Rainbow-Fountain_/2222

External links

https://english.visitseoul.net/nature/Banpo-Hangang-Park_/29937