Post-Market: A Sunday of Unexpected Visitors

It is Tuesday evening, and the adrenaline from the weekend is finally settling down.

This past Sunday, December 21st, was the Holiday Market at Songeun.

To be honest, standing behind a table to present your work is a very different experience from presenting a design to a client or lecturing in a classroom. In architecture, you usually have big screens, ideally some physical models, and a buffer of distance. At a market, you are just... there. Standing. Hopefully not alone.

You are completely exposed. Waiting to see if anyone connects with this small object you’ve spent months agonizing over.

But the day turned out to be less about "selling" and more about "connecting."

The Surprise Guests

The highlight of the day was the faces.

I was genuinely grateful for everyone who stopped by the booth to say hello—asking if I was the one behind this tiny piece, asking about the lines of circulation on the paperweights, or just chatting about how cold it is outside.

But the biggest surprise was seeing my students.

A few of the "bright young lads" I mentioned in my last post actually came along.

One of my former students even arrived at the venue earlier than I did. (To be fair, I was running on very little sleep after staying late to set up the tables the night before).

It is a strange and wonderful feeling to have the tables turned.

Usually, I am the one standing over their desks, critiquing their designs and questioning their logic. This Sunday, they were the ones looking at my work.

Seeing them outside the university, in the context of a real-world exhibition, was a moment I won’t forget. It reminded me that we are all just navigating this same industry, trying to make things that matter. (They seemed to approve of the design... or perhaps they were just too polite to say otherwise.)

Moving Forward

The Holiday Market is over, and the paperweights have found their new owners.

For those who missed the market, the exhibition <On Weight> is still running in the Welcome Room until February 14th. Make sure you experience the amazing space designed by Herzog & de Meuron.

Thank you to everyone who made this Sunday warm, despite the winter chill.