Early in April of this year, I was invited to participate in the III Delphic Games to be held in Korea in September. I had never heard of the event before and even their internet site at the time only gave a tantalizing taste of what was to come. They were looking for a calligrapher to judge a contest, do a presentation, exhibit their work and teach a workshop. I was definitely onboard for a trip to Korea!

It was the third international celebration in the contemporary revival of the Delphic Games, ancient Greek’s creative contests (which actually pre-date their athletic counterpart, the Olympic Games). It was an amazing international gathering of more than 1,500 people from over 50 countries; primarily performing and visual artists. I was one of three judges of the calligraphy contest. The other two were from Korea and Oman (by Saudi Arabia), which created a suitably diverse trio. The week long event took place on the volcanic island of Jeju, off of the southern tip of South Korea. I also spent 5 days in Seoul to experience another, more familiar, side of Korea. I wish I had stayed even longer.

South Korea is a modern democracy with an executive, legislative and judicial branch. It is on a fairly small and mountainous peninsula (somewhat similar to Florida in size and shape) wedged between China and Japan. It has a 4,000 year history of perpetually being invaded and defending itself against its neighbors. Somehow, it has managed to maintain its own language and heritage and consequently puts a high value on tradition. Combine that with their thrust toward modernization and you have a 21st century economic powerhouse. It is the home to Samsung, LG, Hyundai, Kia and other major, international companies. South Korea is a very wired country in all respects, and it is estimated that 90% of Koreans have cell phones. The emphasis on education is formidable and probably accounts for a great deal of Korea’s success.

I found it to be fairly humid while I was there (what do you want from a country where you are never further than 70 miles from the sea?) and gave up on trying to tame my hair. But September had pleasing temperatures averaging between 60 and 80 degrees fahrenheit and I never needed a jacket.

I took about 2,000 photos (and was sent over 100 more that others took). I have culled them down to less than 250 in my primary slide show, Korea: the trip, and a bit over 100 in the Lettering and Design in Korea section. That’s still a lot, but that’s what I needed to tell the story. I have put most of the graphics and lettering I shot into a separate section for my colleagues. There are a few overlapping shots, but they are primarily different.

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