From tomorrow until 7 June, the Centro Cultural Coreano of Madrid (Paseo de la Castellana, 15) presents the exhibition Dance and Music of the Royal Court of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), in which visitors can discover the history of the music and dance of the Korean court through the Gugak National Museum of Traditional Music.
The opening of the exhibition will take place tomorrow Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Han-ul gallery of the Centre and will include a Gayageum and dance concert. The opening will be attended by the director of the Korean Cultural Centre, Jaekwang Shin, and the director of the National Gugak Centre, Kim Myeong-seok, head of the Korean traditional music research department.
The exhibition offers a selection of more than 22 cultural relics brought from the National Gugak Centre and important facts about both the richness and importance of this instrumental heritage, as well as the documentary treatment it has undergone throughout its history. Documents of historical value will be on display, the centrepiece of which is the Im-in-jin-yeon-do folding screen , recognised as Seoul Metropolitan Cultural Heritage No. 543 and 544.
This ten-panel folding screen depicts the procession that took place in 1902 on the occasion of King Gojong’s admission into Giroso (a government office established during the Joseon Dynasty to honour civil servants who retired from their official positions, as well as an honorary institution that honoured those senior citizens who were instrumental in the history of the Korean nation), at the age of only 51, and the scene of the Jinyeon commemorating it. Panels 1 to 5 contain scenes from the Giroso induction, which took place on 27-28 March 1902, and panels 6 to 9 contain scenes from the Jinyeon, which took place on 23-24 April 1902. Panel 10 records the names and ranks of the officials in charge of the Jinyeon rituals.
The Im-in-jin-yeon-do screen records historical facts, providing an insight into the Jinyeon procedures and circumstances of the time, as well as important material for learning about traditional Korean music and dance, including the types of court dances and musical instruments played at the time.
