Look across the courtyard. Then follow the edges above it. This is a place where the route between shops becomes part of the scene.
The photograph beside this story was taken by Christian Bolz in March 2016. Read it as an architectural portrait, not a current directory of shops, events or displays.
01 / Follow the edge
The linked paths offer different views into the open centre. In the photograph, the horizontal lines of the walkways connect the separate shopfronts. Imagine how the scene would change from each level.
On a visit, pause somewhere you are not blocking the route. Look across the space before looking into the next shop. A useful photograph can begin with deciding what to leave out.
02 / Look beyond the label
Ssamzigil brings traditional and contemporary crafts together. If an object interests you, ask about its material, maker and place of production. Those details can be more useful than simply deciding whether it looks “Korean”.
Choose one detail to remember: a glaze, a joining technique, a shape or a repeated pattern. You do not have to buy something to take an observation home.
03 / Read the date
The architecture is the subject of this archival photograph. Shop signs, temporary displays and activities belong to the moment in which it was taken. Do not use the image to plan a visit to a particular business today.
Make one wide view and one close detail, where photography is permitted. Put them together and ask what the second image explains about the first.