The "Seoul Hyperculture Project"

“Seoulspace“ — Model @oh_that_3.6 makes a call to nowhere while shooting her way through hyperspace.

"The Seoul Hyperculture Project" is a cultural geography initiative that explores diverse hypercultures in Seoul. Hypercultures, distinct from subcultures that oppose or deviate from dominant social norms, amplify societal values and run with them to form communities—especially in the realm of consumption. We focus on digitally-formed hypercultures, with street fashion, LGBTQ/drag culture, and professional-level modeling on Korean Instagram as points of departure. The project includes mapping "hot places" in Seoul and delves into Korean gentrification, which could be better called "ladification” in the Korean context. Emphasizing a methodology fusing sociology, visual studies, and cultural geography, it highlights the unique characteristics and universal importance of non-Western cultures through region-specific empirical data.

“Photo-ready.” — Model @diwine.im poses in the hip ‘hood of Mullae-dong for a picture outside a popular automated photo studio.

"The Seoul Hyperculture Project" is a comprehensive digital humanities endeavor that authentically merges real-world digital tools with academic applications. By engaging with hypercultures extant in Seoul through a digital lens, this project meets individuals where they are on the ground and takes a genuine, grounded theory approach that is fire-baptized in praxis. Through the utilization of digital tools in a real-world context, this project aims to bridge the gap between ivory tower study and practical, lived experiences as found within Seoul’s hypercultures. This approach not only adds depth to the understanding of Seoul's cultural landscape but also exemplifies a cutting-edge methodology that integrates the digital realm with on-the-ground insights, which allows for the creation of accurate and actionable, ethnographic exploration of hypercultures in Seoul, Earth’s hottest city.

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