Sewoon Arcade

 A Trip to Sewoon Arcade

Our first stop on the Sewoon Arcade adventure was a street with plenty of lighting and camera shops. It was a psychedelic wonderland with dozens of rainbow LED lights, neons signs, flashing lights, and any and all lighting you could ever need.

From hanging and floor lamps to lighting for stores, there was an incredible amount of variety no matter the need. 

There were also plenty of other gadgets and gizmos as well, shelved chock full of spare parts, tools, wires, metal, and an entire wall of extremely ancient fans. 

It was honestly a really lovely day when our group managed to go so these are some random shots of the late afternoon light shining on some chairs and posts around the arcade streets. 

There was plenty of activity and movement around the area as construction was ongoing along building walls, sidewalks, and an entire fenced-off section beside the Sewoon Arcade walkways. 

We reached a section that lent the "arcade" feel of Sewoon arcade a bit more credence. Many of the machines were out of commission but some were lit up and just sat in a row, waiting to be used. 

Along the stretch between Cheonggye and Sewoon, there was a lovely view of the Cheonggyecheon River and the bright colors of the buildings and the bridge stuck out amidst the Seoul Architecture Biennial exhibition that was going on below. 

We reached a section of the area that had many studio spaces and exhibitions that were ongoing. It seems we had reached the more modern end of the arcade stretch, and along with that, the more gentrified area. 

The modernity of some areas was greatly contrasted by the decrepit state of some of the neighboring buildings as well, the tiles and stones worn and stained by age and weather. 

Overall, Sewoon Arcade was an interesting mix of new and old, floor-to-ceiling electronic shops and sleek exhibition spaces, forgotten arcade machines and modern coffee shops, and a space that spoke of history yet also of more to come.