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| A rendering of the new LG Arts Center in Magok District, Seoul / Courtesy of LG Arts Center |
By Park Ji-won
The LG Arts Center, one of the leading art theaters currently based in southern Seoul and run by LG Group's Yonam Foundation, will be relocated to a government-led industrial complex in Magok District, western Seoul, in March of next year. It will be open to the public in October of next year.
Designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando and advised by Theatre Projects Consultants, a theater building consultant headquartered in the United Kingdom, the new art complex will be built on a 41,631-square-meter site and provide two concert halls, named the "Grand Theater" and "Black Box," with 1,335 and 365 seats, respectively.
The foundation has invested 250 billion won ($212.7 million) in the four-story complex, which has three levels below ground, since construction began in October 2017.
"Even though the district has a potential to grow, it doesn't have enough cultural facilities … We hope the facility can become a cultural landmark there," Shim Woo-sub, head of the LG Arts Center, said during a press conference held online, Wednesday.
The existing art center has presented 867 shows, or about 6,300 sessions, while some 4.5 million people have attended these shows since 2000. The musical, "Hadestown," will be the last show to be presented there in February. From March to September 2022, the new complex will be temporarily closed and prepared for its opening, while a test show will be planned.
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| A rendering of the "Grand Theater" in the new LG Arts Center in Magok District, Seoul / Courtesy of the LG Arts Center |
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| A rendering of the "Tube," a pathway in the new LG Arts Center in Magok District, Seoul / Courtesy of the LG Arts Center |
What differentiates the new center from the old one is that the new facility will introduce more high-end technology in terms of its acoustic properties. The "Grand Theater" introduces a system that can adjust the reverberation time or sound-lasting time, falling into the 1.2 to 1.85 second range. It also introduces a "box-in-a-box" concept, meaning that it will be able to shut out ambient sounds from outside the concert halls. The stages and seats of the "Black Box" will be adjustable according to the artists' intention.
The new art complex is planning to expand its programs and come up with more original performances.
"We would like to continue showcasing contemporary performances as the LG Arts Center has been doing, as well as bring to the stage more performances designed to entertain family-based audiences through collaborations with local and overseas artists," Lee Hyun-jung, head of programming and marketing of the LG Arts Center said.
The program of the new complex will be unveiled at the start of next year.
Since the foundation of the art center in March 2000, the facility has been presenting a variety of shows with content ranging from traditional shows to contemporary performances. When not many theaters were hosting long-term musicals, the center signed with the production company of the "Phantom of the Opera" and presented it for nine months in 2001.
The complex is noted locally for introducing a seasonal program and a concert ticket package.
