Every place holds countless histories. Family lineages, stories of the past embedded in certain landscapes or objects, and individual memories… The grand histories found in textbooks cannot encompass all of these small, personal histories. Yet, it is often these smaller, familiar histories that speak most eloquently about a place’s memory.
In this workshop themed “Inheriting the Memory of a Place through a Third Party,” we invite the artist Natsumi Seo, who has developed her own unique method of transforming records into expressions through her projects in various regions. Participants will try this method themselves, creating their own original stories based on Busan’s familiar, everyday histories. By sharing these stories with each other and passing them on to someone else in the future, another hidden side of Busan’s history will surely come to light.

Schedule |
Part 1: Saturday, August 9, 2025 | 14:00–17:15　* Screening of Double Layered Town, lecture and workshop by Natsumi Seo
Part 2: Saturday, August 16, 2025 | 14:00–17:00　* Participants’ presentations of original “Familiar Histories of Busan”
Venue | Part 1: Corner Theater / Part 2: Central Busan

Organizer & Planner: soon Ltd.
Participating Artist: Natsumi Seo
Supported by: Arts Council Tokyo (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture)
In cooperation with: Corner Theater, Totatoga, Busan
Subtitles provided by: DMZ International Documentary Film Festival
Certified Project for the 60th Anniversary of the Normalization of Japan-Korea Diplomatic Relations

1. Prior survey
Participants will find a familiar, trivial history related to Busan and research about it. It can be to talk to elders close to them, or to research about relics and things filled with memories passed down in the family, landscapes they want to leave behind, or historic places and epitaphs in the city. If possible, it is preferable to interview someone real about the chosen motif.

2. Part 1 (August 9th)
Venue: Corner Theater
Date and Time: August 9th 14:00–17:15

We will watch the film Double Layered Town (2019), directed by Natsumi Seo*, an artist and poet who is the navigator and facilitator of this workshop. This film documents a workshop where participants who were not directly affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake listen to the survivors and then retell their stories in their own words—a structure similar to that of this workshop.
After viewing the film, participants will learn Seo’s creative method and create drawings based on the “familiar histories” they have researched.
* In addition to workshop participants, general admission is open as a free screening.

3. Part 2 (August 16th)
Venue: Totatoga, Busan
Date and Time: August 16th 14:00–17:00

Based on the drawings created in the first workshop, participants will create original stories and present them to the group. The stories can be expressed freely, such as through reading aloud, using photos or videos, or any other medium.

Eligibility: Individuals aged 18 or older currently residing in Busan.
Capacity: 5 participants
Participation Fee: Free

How to Apply:
Please apply via the following Google Form
Application Deadline: Until Wednesday, July 30th, 23:59

Notes:
Participation in only one of the two sessions (either the first or second) is not allowed. Attendance at both sessions is mandatory.
Participants are responsible for their own expenses such as transportation costs related to research and presentations.