K-Content News

KOCCA's immersive festival 'Age of Light' kicks off

By Lee Gyu-lee

The Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) has opened a cultural pop-up space called "Age of Light," or "Gwanghwa Sidae," to offer a series of immersive experiences.

The event, held in the Gwanghwamun area at the center of Seoul, began Friday and will present eight different immersive programs until the end of February.

The aim is to provide historical, cultural and art-related content using the latest advanced technology such as 5G networks, augmented reality (AR) and holography.

"The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and KOCCA have organized this event for people to become familiar with immersive content, using immersion technology, to promote our country's fine technology and culture abroad by having the Gwanghwamun area as a hub, and to cultivate the immersion industry as one of the country's leading industries," the agency said in a statement Friday.

Under the theme, "The era of light from 5G networks," the festival's eight pieces will include real-time performances in virtual space, an immersive gardening area, an artificial intelligence presentation using holograms, time-travel attractions, and interactive games.

It will also feature two media art exhibitions at the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History and Seoul Metro Art Center at Gwanghwamun subway station, both located in Jongno District gu in central Seoul.

Starting off with a concert, the months-long event will then showcase two works in mid-January 2022, four in early February, and the last one at the end of that month.

The concert will consist of two parts. Artists will perform from different cities across the country including Seoul; Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province; Jeonju, North Jeolla Province; and Cheorwon, Gangwon Province; which will be live streamed on a media facade using 5G technology.

The performances will use a virtual reality stage, set in a different timeline for each artist ― the present, and the future of 2031.

The first part of the concert will feature singer Song So-hee, folk music band 2nd Moon, dancers Lia Kim and Hyojin Choi, and indie band Nerd Connection. The second will have K-pop stars including Psy, boy band The Boyz, rappers Simon Dominic and Loco, and singer GRAY.

The concert will be streamed from 6 p.m. through various online platforms, including KOCCA's official YouTube channel and Naver Now.

The on-site audience will be limited to 70, due to stricter social distancing measures because of the surge in COVID-19 cases. All participants must provide a record of vaccination or negative PCR test result in order to enter the site.