Can Personalized Virtual Try-On Turn Imagination into Reality?: Professor Kim Se-eun, Department of Fashion Design

Opening a New Stage, Alumnus Baek Jong-min (Department of Theatre, 19)

Sungkyunkwan University Dance Department Joins University of Taipei’s Annual Performance, Featured in Critical Review

Sungkyunkwan Dance Department Joins University of Taipei’s Annual Performance, Featured in Critical Review The Dance Department at Sungkyunkwan University took part in the University of Taipei’s annual dance performance, “Body: Following the Light (身‧循光),” held on April 5, 2026, at Taipei Metropolitan Hall. The program featured a range of choreographic works by faculty members. Dancers from Sungkyunkwan University performed in “Rhythms of the World, Rhythms Written on the Body,” a collaborative piece co-created by Professors Kim Nai and Tung Yi-Fen. Developed as part of the ChoreoLab project, the work approaches culture not as a fixed symbol but as a “living experience,” exploring how relationships are formed among dancers from diverse backgrounds. According to a review by David Mead, the piece opens with an urban, street-inflected sensibility. Onstage, multiple movements and encounters unfold simultaneously, with small groups, duets, and moments of direct collision recurring throughout. Dancers alternately guard against and avoid one another; when they meet intentionally, they push and clash, generating palpable tension and oppositional energy. Yet within these collisions, gestures of falling and regaining balance reveal an undercurrent of mutual support. The work moves beyond a simple portrayal of conflict, constructing instead a layered structure in which diverse relationships and emotions coexist. As the performance progresses, fragmented movements gradually converge into a unified flow. The latter section, in particular, suggests a message of hope: that coexistence remains possible without erasing difference. The performance offered Sungkyunkwan University students an opportunity to collaborate with artists from diverse cultural contexts on an international stage, expanding both their contemporary sensibilities and artistic capacities. More broadly, the event demonstrated the value of intercultural dialogue and exchange in the performing arts. Source: David Mead, “University of Taipei Annual Performance,” April 23, 2026.

Professor Lee Kyung-sung of Theatre Invited to Prestigious Avignon Festival… First Korean Theatre Invitation in 28

Professor Lee Kyung-sung of Theatre Invited to Prestigious Avignon Festival… First Korean Theatre Invitation in 28 Years - As the 80th Avignon Festival designates Korean as its official language for 2026, seven Korean artists are announced - Documentary theatre Island Story on Jeju April 3 tragedy conveys messages of peace and remembrance alongside Nobel laureate Han Kang Island Story, a theatre production directed by and featuring Professor Lee Kyung-sung of the Department of Theatre Arts, has been officially invited to the Festival d’Avignon, one of the world’s most prestigious performing arts festivals held in France. The invitation marks a significant milestone for Korean theatre, coming 28 years after its last official selection in 1998, and is regarded as a renewed recognition of the global stature of Korean performing arts. Celebrating its 80th anniversary this year, the Avignon Festival is widely regarded as a “dream stage” where only a select group of leading artists from around the world are invited each year. Notably, the festival’s organizing committee has designated Korean as an official language for the 2026 edition and unveiled its invited artists during a press presentation held in France on April 8. The list includes seven prominent Korean cultural figures, among them Professor Lee Kyung-sung, Nobel Prize in Literature laureate Han Kang, pansori creator Lee Jaram, Ibsen Award winner Jaha Koo, and actress Lee Hye-young. ▲ Festival d’Avignon poster Selections for the official program undergo a highly rigorous review process. According to the festival organizers, extensive research and field interviews on the Korean performing arts scene have been conducted over the past two years, leading to the final selection of works noted for both artistic excellence and social resonance. During the festival period from July 4 to 25, invited artists will participate not only in performances but also in public engagement programs such as “Meet the Audience” sessions and “K-Stage Rendezvous,” offering opportunities for direct dialogue with international audiences. Island Story, created by Professor Lee and his theatre company Creative VaQi, is a documentary theatre work that follows the excavation and identification of remains of victims of the Jeju April 3rd Incident. Based on real historical events, the production transforms collective trauma into a stage narrative, carrying a broader message of mourning and remembrance for victims of violence and war across the world today. During the festival, Professor Lee will also present a series of five performances, including a special reading of I Do Not Bid Farewell, alongside Nobel laureate Han Kang, internationally renowned actress Isabelle Huppert, and actress Lee Hye-young, further emphasizing themes of peace and reconciliation. ▲ Island Story by Creative VaQi poster Professor Lee commented on the invitation, saying, “It is an honor to stand on the stage of Avignon alongside world-renowned masters. As a member of Sungkyunkwan University, I will do my utmost to share the strength of Korean theatre with the world.” Meanwhile, Island Story will hold its final domestic performances in Korea from April 15 to 19 at the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture’s QUAD Theatre in Daehak-ro before departing for France.