Prof. Jang Gyu-sun (54, photo) of the visual design department at Dong Seoul University disseminates works that couple Korean traditional patterns with the cross. On April 15 during an interview with Kukmin Daily at her campus studio in Seongnam city, Gyeonggi-do, she said, “Korean churches should acknowledge the importance of color and design, and graft them into their ministries.”
Since last December, Prof. Jang has been distributing crosses made by applying images from hanbok (traditional costume) and traditional door and window designs, in Korea’s five traditional colors (yellow, green, white, red, black). “You can see the psychological healing effect just by looking at the crosses made in Korea’s essential colors,” she said. “This is known as color therapy.”
“The principle of color therapy is that body and mind are healed, and positive energy is strengthened, by the essential wavelengths and energy of the colors…Yellow calms the nerves, red helps blood circulate, and orange is beneficial in easing depression. Purple aids menopausal women’s recovery of self-confidence,” she explained. When color tones meet Christian symbols, they are filled with essential values. For example, a purple cross represents Shalom, giving peace, and a blue cross combined with windows and doors symbolizes an opening to Korea mission.
Prof. Jang advised, “Different colors of rooms produce different minds and attitudes in the persons who spend time in them…Therefore, from the construction of a church to the printing of bulletins and the distribution of small evangelizing articles, there needs to be a minimal sense of color and coherence based on this philosophy.”
Reporter Paek Sang-hyun (100sh@kmib.co.kr), from Seongnam, with Marion Kim (marionkkim@icloud.com)
Photo by senior reporter Kang Min Seok
Original Article in Korean:
“색깔은 마음가짐·태도에 영향… 목회에도 디자인 접목시켜야”: 전통문양 모자이크 십자가로 ‘색채치료’ 하는 장규순 교수
“Colors affect minds and attitudes… We need to graft design into ministry”
2018-04-17 15:30
