When we’re not at the festival enjoying the shows, we’re in cafes working on posters, grant applications, presentation files, and filling up certain performances. In short, administrative and communication work around cultural activities never really stops. So, it’s wise to combine business with pleasure. Spending time in cafes is common in South Korea; they have excellent Wi-Fi connections, and you can stay for hours without being disturbed, having only ordered a coffee. We often frequent popular chains like Starbucks (internationally renowned), A Twosome Place, Coffee Bean, MegaCoffee, etc., which you can find absolutely everywhere in South Korea. However, we’re particularly interested in discovering original and unconventional cafes, whether by their style, theme, or culinary specialty. The city of Busan is abundant with such places. We’ve already visited the Butter Vill cafe together, a superb 2D cafe. In this article, we’ll explore three more cafes, making it longer than the previous one.
Let’s start with Gemstone. We spent an entire afternoon there. This cafe was an old abandoned municipal swimming pool. It has been renovated to become the place it is today. Several spaces have been created to allow customers to explore the atmosphere in which they wish to stay, to take a photo with the piano or in the old car, to lie down on a lounge chair, or to sit in the bleachers. It’s as if we can still hear the audience cheering for the swimmers 🏊 😊 time seems to fly here. In our aspirations, having the opportunity to renovate this kind of place, giving it a second life, is an integral part of the project. There are so many places that are left abandoned. This potential must be tapped into. There’s no need to create a new building.
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Another cafe that greatly inspired us, where we spent several hours working, is Magnate. This cafe is a perfect example of how to blend Pop Culture and abstract art 🎨 in a French Art Deco ambiance from the early 1920s. If you’re a fan of retro chic ambiance, welcome! We should start by specifying that this cafe is managed by the family of a member of BTS, the famous K-Pop group, Jimin, which partly explains such artistic composition. Indeed, at the entrance of the cafe, an entire table is dedicated to the Army (the name of the boy band’s fan base). Fans from all over the world come here on pilgrimage to leave drawings, letters, and gifts for the group members. Several drawings and paintings of Jimin have also been deposited here and are displayed on the cafe walls alongside famous Pop Art representations. When we consider that since then, the Louvre Museum has held a painting exhibition dedicated to Jimin, perhaps this cafe is ultimately ahead of its time? In any case, it’s definitely a good example of the mix between elitist and popular arts, which really don’t need to be in opposition to each other but can complement each other. Everything has its place in the decoration of this cafe. Nothing clashes; it’s a well-found harmony. Nearly 100 years of history are brought together in one place, sewing machines, lamps, paintings, etc. This place is not only devoted to painting but also exhibits objects, tools of everyday life from the 19th and 20th centuries. A collection of arts to be appreciated 😊
The last cafe we were able to visit before leaving Busan is Yamuyamu. The concept and theme are relatively evident from the entrance: Teddy Bear. As you can see in the photos, all the sweets, all the pastries are shaped like bears. Even the butter for the brioche has this shape. They’ve thought of every little detail for the interior and exterior decoration. It’s impressive and inspiring 🧸🐻. There’s even more to see on their Instagram page, which we invite you to discover.
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