Soothing with culture: Seoul’s remedy for ‘COVID blue’
Project: artistic programme to enhance wellbeing during the pandemic
The Purpose
In response to the challenges faced by cultural facilities in Seoul due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Seoul Metropolitan Government introduced the initiative, ‘Soothing with Culture’, which aimed to provide comfort and enjoyment to citizens, offer performance and promotional opportunities for artists, and establish quarantine and safety standards for cultural events.
The Challenge
Cultural facilities in Seoul faced many challenges, with closures and limited operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was also a time when the city saw an increase in citizens suffering from depression or lethargy, known as ‘COVID blue’, as a result of social distancing measures.
Soothing with Culture provided comfort and enjoyment to citizens, offered performance and promotional opportunities for artists.
The Solution
Due to the closure and limited operations of cultural facilities, the Seoul Metropolitan Government launched ‘Soothing with Culture’ in August 2020. This program featured a varied artistic program every month, including performances by the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Citizen Invitation Performance, and Seoul Music Travel. It emphasised small-scale performances with social distancing measures in place, and many performances were held at various venues around the city, bringing cultural experiences directly to citizens.
The Impact
The ‘Soothing with Culture’ program successfully provided comfort and enjoyment to citizens, relieved isolation, and enhanced psychological resilience. It also offered performance and promotional opportunities for artists who had suffered from event cancellations. The program demonstrated that COVID-19-compliant events could be successfully held, paving the way for more commercial activities. Additionally, the project expanded contact points between citizens and culture at the local level, making cultural experiences more accessible. The Seoul Metropolitan Government continued these efforts and aimed to further promote policies supporting digital accessibility for online cultural and artistic activities in the post-COVID era.
Source: World Cities Culture Report 2022
Images Courtesy © City of Seoul
