SPATIAL EXPERIENCE DESIGNER

 Creating immersive experiences through culture, imagination, and storytelling



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PROJECT 01
EXHIBITION

GAT
EXHIBITION


TYPE

Cultural Exhibition 
Immersive Experience

YEAR

2026

KEYWORDS

Korean Heritage, Craftsmanship, Visibility, Social Identity




PROJECT
DESCRIPTION



This project explores the Korean gat through an immersive spatial exhibition.
Rather than presenting the gat only as a historical object, the exhibition allows 
visitors to understand its origin, craftsmanship, social meaning, and aesthetic qualities 
through movement, scale, light, shadow, and translucency.

The design begins with a layered entrance sequence and opens into four exhibition spaces 
that visitors can explore freely. 
Together, these spaces reveal the gat through form, translucency, craft, and symbolic storytelling

WHAT  IS  GAT?


The Gat is a traditional Korean hat men wore during the Joseon Dynasty.

More than a fashion object, the Gat represented social identity, dignity, etiquette, and cultural status.
Made with delicate materials such as bamboo, horsehair, and silk, its transparent structure reveals
both craft and restraint.

In this exhibition, the Gat becomes a gateway to explore Korean culture through form, craftsmanship, gesture, and belief.

AUDIENCE


The audience includes visitors unfamiliar with Korean culture, those curious about it, and second-generation Korean Americans reconnecting with their heritage. The exhibition should work even without prior knowledge of Korean history.

SPATIAL
DIAGRAM

FLOOR PLAN


Total area: 14,390.49 ft² (1,336.92 m²)
3/16" = 1'-0"

LOCATION


Southwestern Bag Co
1380 E 6th, Los Angeles, CA 90021

The proposed site is the Southwestern Bag Company building in LA's Arts District, on East Sixth Street near Mateo Street. The warehouse allows me to create distinct zones within one continuous visitor journey.



COLOR, MATERIAL 
STRATEGY


The palette is intentionally restrained. Bamboo and hanji reference Korean materials; plaster and charcoal create a contemporary background. Metal mesh and translucent screens control visibility, while lighting shapes the emotional transition between zones.

Entrance Corridor

The entrance becomes a threshold between everyday Los Angeles and the exhibition.Projected figures wearing gats appear along the corridor, making visitors feel as if they're entering another time before the story fully unfolds.

Origin

This first main zone is called Origin. Here, I want visitors to understand what the gat actually was before moving into the exhibition's more symbolic parts. Beyond being formal clothing, the gat had a practical purpose. Its wide brim provided shade from the sun, and its light, woven construction created a protective layer around the head. Materials such as bamboo and horsehair made that structure possible. At the same time, its shape and how it was worn reflected manners and social identity in Joseon society. I translated those functions into the architecture. Instead of only looking at a hat in a display case, visitors stand beneath a large woven-inspired canopy. Light filters through the ceiling and creates patterns of shadow. In other words, they physically experience the gat's relationship to sunlight and protection, at the scale of a room



Craft

Next is Craft, which focuses on the patience and precision behind making a gat. I want craftsmanship to be part of the story, not just background information.




Between Seen & Unseen

The next section, Between Seen and Unseen, is one of the most important spaces in the exhibition. It starts with a contradiction I found interesting about the gat: the wearer could be partly hidden, but their social identity could still be recognized. The semi-transparent material changes what you can see depending on light, angle, and distance. I wanted visitors to experience that condition directly. So I redesigned this area using several layers of fine metal mesh, rather than relying only on solid walls and projections. People moving on the other side remain visible as silhouettes, but their faces and details are difficult to recognize. As visitors walk, the layers overlap differently and their view changes. The goal is to feel what it means to see someone without fully seeing them, and then to connect that sensation to historical ideas about status, appearance, and respect.

Waiting Zone

This waiting area creates a pause before Jeoseung-saja.
Visitors can sit, slow down, and think of a memory they might want to share, particularly if they are here with family.

JEOSEUNG SAJA

The final experience introduces the Jeoseung-saja, a figure from Korean folklore who guides souls from the living world toward the afterlife. The character is often shown in black traditional clothing and a black gat. I chose this story because the black gat creates a visual connection to the exhibition, but also allows the meaning of the journey to change. Until now, we've explored the gat through history, craft, and social identity. Here, it becomes part of a symbolic story about life and what we remember. My intention is not to create a horror attraction. I want to use this familiar Korean cultural figure to make visitors reflect on their own lives in a gentle, meaningful way. A guide playing the role of Jeoseung-saja calls visitors by name and invites them into the next space. Instead of simply giving instructions, the guide begins a conversation about memory.

Exit Corridor

The exit becomes gradually brighter, representing a return to the present. I want visitors to leave thinking about both the culture they have explored and the people and memories they value.


© 2026 DAHYE SHIN            SPATIAL EXPERIENCE DESIGNER
© 2026 DAHYE SHIN            SPATIAL EXPERIENCE DESIGNER