KIMCHIMAMA
/FINAL THESIS 2022
analysis and reinterpretation of hallyu’s digital communication strategy
applied on my parents value
Kpop: Korean popular music
Hallyu: Increase in popularity of Korean pop culture.
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My family and I first moved to Spain in 2002.
Twenty years have gone by and my dad celebrated his sixtieth birthday this year. As my parents reach their sixties, they often tell me that their bodies send them signals that not all works as it did before. They tell me that they’re in the process of entering a new chapter in life, a chapter in which they wish for work that is less physically demanding and more time to slow down, whilst preserving enough time to do all the other things they dream of
Hallyu: Increase in popularity of Korean pop culture.
My family and I first moved to Spain in 2002.
Twenty years have gone by and my dad celebrated his sixtieth birthday this year. As my parents reach their sixties, they often tell me that their bodies send them signals that not all works as it did before. They tell me that they’re in the process of entering a new chapter in life, a chapter in which they wish for work that is less physically demanding and more time to slow down, whilst preserving enough time to do all the other things they dream of
︎︎︎ render of the album box by alex linares
The story of Kimchimama, a Korean restaurant in Barcelona owned by my parents, is told through journals, interactions, and recipes. It is a homage, a legacy, and a gift to mum and dad. The project is based on my dad’s vision in life of building a stronger bridge between Korea and Spain. The project, therefore, stands at a crossroads between contrasts: between the west and the east, the global hype of Kpop and the local reality of the restaurant, the superficial and the intimate, the trendy and traditional and consumed through the internet or consumed physically.
︎︎︎ RENDERS OF THE FUNCTIONALITY OF THE ALBUM
by alex linares
Kpop’s success can be accredited to its use of music and dance, both universal languages in which people across borders can consume. In this project I reflect on food, also universal, and take Hallyu to talk about Kimchimama. The book consists of 6 chapters, each introduced by my dad’s journal and accompanied by a digital layer derived from analyzing Hallyu. Finally, the chapters close with recipes developed over the years by mum. This book, alongside posters and recipe cards, comes in a box that mimics what a Kpop album would be like, drawing parallels of reusing Hallyu as a way to talk about the philosophy of my parents.
Book (side) B consists of 6 chapters, each introduced by my dad’s journal and is accompanied by a digital layer derived from analysing *Hallyu. The chapters close with recipes developed over the years by mum.
INTRODUCTION PAGE OF BOOK A
CHAPTER: “FOOD CHOICES”
RECIPE AT THE END OF CHAPTER
Layout design taken from LOT2046
Interactive layers ︎︎︎
exchangeable recipe cards ︎︎︎
Kpop’s success can be accredited to its use of music and dance, both universal languages in which people across borders can consume. In this project I take food, also a universal language.
︎︎︎ artwork of the cover of the album
A cultural bridge
The project is based on my dad’s vision in life of building a stronger bridge between Korea and Spain. The project, therefore, stands at a crossroads between contrasts: between the east (origin) and the west (current), the global hype of Kpop and the local reality of the restaurant, the superficial and the intimate, the trendy and traditional and consumed through the internet or physically.
︎︎︎ manual paper weaving technique used to blend two images ︎︎︎
︎︎︎ pictures of the final exhibition by vladyslav poshyvanyuk
