Convergence of Visual Contents from the Joseon Dynasty and Current Trends for a Pattern Design Output

Abstract

Patterns are in every inch of our surroundings. Everything that the eye lays site on consists of some sort of repetitive element. It can be as small as a jumble of molecules, as big as a birds eye view of buildings lying side-by-side, or as interesting as the stripes on a zebra.

All motifs and patterns are a rotation of life and each relates to one another in some context or form. Context is borrowed, reused, translated, transformed for creation and fit of the present time frame. Pattern designers and fashion designers bring about new trends and designs through reinterpretation of artwork through uncountable methods, weather it is by getting inspired through nature, or borrowing ideas of artworks from antiquity. This can essentially be seen as a rotational work of art.

The pairings of tradition and innovation is the central ideology to this thesis, extracting historical contents and bringing about a new meaning. It will undergo studies of visual contents from the Joseon Dynasty, specifically researching elements of traditional Korean textiles (costume and clothing), bojagi (cloth used to wrap things), pottery and paintings, converging it will the trends and interests of todays society for a new pattern design output.

The Joseon Dynasty is a profound time period where it consolidated its absolute rule over Korea and saw the height of classical Korean culture, trade, science, literature and technology. Such visual and historical contents, aggregated from the Joseon Dynasty, are a constant look back to the evolution of Korea and are nonetheless cherished as a past belonging. The new notion to be assembled is to preserve the characteristics of the past, but at the same time pronounce its meaning in a new format that can be used to understand a new denotation.