SUPRA
Supra is a permanent installation designed by SO? for the 2024 Suseong International Biennale(SIB) held in Suseong-gu, Daegu. The biennale was led by Choon Choi (Seoul National University) and Kim Youngmin (University of Seoul), who were selected as artistic directors for architecture and landscape. The governing theme that they proposed was ‘Relational Field”.
“After all, the earth, too,
is but a hunk of stone,
speck in absolute space.”
Pak Mogwol
The dilemma between nature and urbanism has been a prominent topic for decades, particularly with the rise of discussions about the Anthropocene. Cities developed rapidly in the last decades, making the perpetual cycle of nature less visible in high-density urban areas. This change transforms the relationship between humans and nature, as understanding through seeing becomes harder.
As newcomers to Seoul and Suseong, we've observed the human-nature relationship, noting that, unlike in Istanbul, natural resources like mountains, rivers, and winds are still tangible in Korean cities, despite technology taking precedence. Our project site, surrounded by high-density development, highways, water, and greenery, exemplifies this juxtaposition. The noise of passing cars contrasts with the serene lotus flowers floating on the lake, illustrating different experiences of time and change. Moreover, it is common in Korean architecture to use natural materials in relation to each other. Stones are paired with wood, mimicking their natural coexistence.
Given these observations, we ask how one can have a moment of self-reflection amidst this dilemma. We propose a simple canopy that provides privacy in public spaces, allowing for relaxation. The canopy's materials and details create an urban interior feeling, offering privacy without creating enclosed, high-maintenance spaces. When it rains, SUPRA aims to make the movement of water visible, from the air to the soil. When it does not rain, SUPRA provides a space where people can be privately public, as described by Marshall Berman, intimately together without being physically alone.
The theme of the biennial “relational field” underlies our design, when someone sits by a rock under a canopy during lunch break and has a moment of self-reflection, hearing the noises of the motorway while watching the drifting clouds.
