Registration does not begin until 02.10.2026 at 08:00. It ends on 12.10.2026 at 23:59.

This seminar explores “frontier zones” as urban in-between spaces in the public realm of Seongsu-dong, a very popular district in Seoul. It approaches documentary film as an exploratory medium that operates at the intersection of analytical inquiry and artistic practice.The seminar is grounded in a collaborative and situated research framework: their knowledge was produced through interaction rather than detached observation. Rejecting the notion of neutral spectatorship, it understands all participants as embedded in processes of meaning-making.

Film is thus not treated as a finished product, but as an open method of investigation. Key questions include: Where and how do frontier zones emerge in urban space? Which social practices, narratives, and negotiations shape these transitional environments?

Participants will analyze and discuss documentary works produced by students from different disciplinary backgrounds. This takes place in exchange with students from Kyung Hee University and in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Suh-hee Choi (Department of Geography, College of Sciences). The seminar also situates these works within a broader international context by relating them to earlier film-based explorations of “frontier zones” in São Paulo (2015, 2017), Tunis (2020), and Manaus (2022).

The existing film material provides a basis for a shared, reflexive engagement with processes of urban transformation, opening up new perspectives on the dynamics of space, society, and urban change. Drawing on this material, students will work with and reassemble footage collected during the Summer Schools in 2015 and 2017 in São Paulo and 2026 in Seoul to produce their own filmic contributions.

The seminar fosters proficiency in the use of diverse digital media across different stages of urban research, with a particular emphasis on their role in communication and knowledge production. Participants will develop an understanding of documentary film as a method of artistic research, exploring its potential to both analyze and represent urban phenomena. Through collaborative work, the seminar encourages the practice of participatory research methods, engaging with multiple perspectives and situated forms of knowledge. A central outcome is the production of documentary film sequences that are not only creatively developed but also analytically robust, enabling critical reflection on processes of urban transformation.

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