Festival of lights held at Mireuksa Temple

A shining festival of lights unfolds at the Mireuksa Temple Site in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, known as a typical example of a quiet abandoned temple site. Through media art, the wooden pagoda that is presumed to have stood between the two stone pagodas will be restored. The colorful light shining on the West Stone Pagoda, where only the 6th floor out of the nine floors has been restored, recreates the image of stones being piled up one by one, taking viewers back to the Baekje era.

This scene is part of the media art ‘Mireuksa Temple, Thousand Years of Light: Exploring Mireuksa Temple Site’s 1,400 Years of Secrets’ that will be held at Mireuksa Temple Site in Iksan from September 6 to October 6. The National Heritage Administration and the National Heritage Promotion Agency will hold the ‘2024 National Heritage Media Art’ at seven locations across the country, including the Mireuksa Temple Site in Iksan, from August to October. First showcased in 2021, the performance unfolds a historical epic of cultural heritage by combining information and communication technology (ICT).

Viewers who wish to preview media art at seven locations can visit the ‘Meta Heritage’ special exhibition held at the Haeundae Platform (formerly Haeundae Station) in Busan, which will continue through August 4.


Sang-Un Kim sukim@donga.com