l find the colours of Seoul especially inspiring
Ah, design inspiration. Something Luc himself knows a thing or two about. While at Lamborghini, the 52-year old Belgian oversaw design of the Diablo, the Murcielago and the Gallardo. While at Audi, he was responsible for one of the most innovative cars of its era: the A2. Regarding Seoul and South Korea, Luc agrees wholeheartedly with Sang-Yup. “Tis is an incredibly motivating country. It remains in a state of constant reinvention, always evolving. Leave Seoul for a week and when you return, you will notice something new.”
It is, of course, no coincidence that these two masters of automotive design have worked together for so many years. It is a working relationship unbound by the convention of office hours. “We never stop,” explains Luc. “No matter where we are – at dinner; driving; on a plane – we may well see or hear something that helps us see a project differently. Tis could be colours, sounds, anything...”
Sang-Yup agrees. “It is true. I find the colours of Seoul especially inspiring, I think it is something to do with the balance of contrasts in the city.” It’s worth noting that these are not the carefully chosen consumerist thoughts of two well-briefed marketing men. Tis is the shared vision of two of the greatest contemporary car designers on the planet, together with an insight into the design direction of one of the world’s foremost motor manufacturers. With Kona, Sang-Yup and Luc provide us with tangible demonstration of how this cultural inspiration has influences their work.
Christian Shim aka Royyal Dog, if you fancy following him on Instagram – is a Korean ‘graffiti writer’ who also grew up in Seoul. He was a teenager when he first picked up a spray can – he’s 28 now – and over the past decade, has honed his craft as a graffiti writer, painting murals that offer a unique and abstract vision of what multiculturalism (perhaps) means to him. Royyal Dog’s murals often depict black women and children wearing traditional Korean dress but their appeal has less to do with the unique combination of one recognisable ethnicity wearing the traditional clothing of another, and rather more to do with the effortless way in which what he paints just… works.
With one caveat. “Don’t call me an artist,” he insists, dismissing the idea that what he does might even be considered art. “I just love hip hop music and my favourite hobby was always painting. So, I love to paint, but more than anything I want to spread messages of love through my work. Tis is my favourite thing. To show people hope; to make them happy.”
And like Sang-Yup, Royyal Dog believes travel has truly broadened his mind (17 countries in the last four years) but is also in no doubt
that it is Seoul that made him. It is now, once again, his home. “I didn’t really know who I was before I left, but not anymore. Now I know what makes me special, and I also know what makes Seoul special.”
“It is also why music is so important,” explains Sang-Yup. “At a recent design presentation we played a particular piece of music that changed the mood immediately. It really emphasized the role music can play, and we are more than aware of this when it comes to how people listen to music in our cars.” Which is why Seoul musician, DJ Ssom, was every bit as fascinating to the Hyundai designers as Royyal Dog.
“Seoul is so popular with tourists now,” the Club VERA resident DJ explained. “So now we hear all kinds of music in the city. I get to listen to all of it and then when I’m in my club, I think I am the happiest person in the world. I give the crowd my energy and in return, I receive theirs!”
Like DJ Ssom, Seoul is a city that really comes alive at night and the importance of cultural touchpoints such as these to Hyundai’s new era of design is impossible to overstate. As Sang-Yup explains, “we designed Kona to reflect the strong character that is to be found in Seoul. We questioned all aspects of its design. It was vital that this car was not regarded as just another SUV.”
It isn’t. Kona is a car that has been inspired by the streets of Seoul, the same as artists like DJ Ssom and Royyal Dog have been. And Luc agrees.“I want our work to polarize opinion, to have an appeal for the long term. Tis is how we progress. A car should be like a piece of art that creates discussion. Is it right? Is it good? A car needs time to be digested, to be understood.”