Hélène Binet

The Intimacy of Making

Three Historical Sites in Korea

Swiss French photographer Hélène Binet takes us on a visual journey through a world of stone, walls and gardens that define and celebrate the Korean art of making. In pure and calm photographs, The Intimacy of Making captures the traditional Korean architecture of three historical sites. Binet examines different typologies of traditional architecture in Korea: the Confucian school and sacred place Byeongsan Seowon; the garden and tea house Soswaewon; and the Jongmyo Shrine. Her camera work brings together both nature and the built structures, and reveals the souls of the three places.

The purity of the photographic motifs sharpens one’s eye for the often-overlooked beauty and harmony in the built environment, as well as the care for craft and composition. This book is a reminder of our often fleeting and careless perceptions.

The photographic essays are accompanied by two texts: Korean architect Byoung Soo Cho offers insight into the cultural and architectural history of the sites, while photographer and writer Eugénie Shinkle focuses on the “making” of the photographs.

Swiss French photographer Hélène Binet takes us on a visual journey through a world of stone, walls and gardens that define and celebrate the Korean art of making. In pure and calm photographs, The Intimacy of Making captures the traditional Korean architecture of three historical sites. Binet examines different typologies of traditional architecture in Korea: the Confucian school and sacred place Byeongsan Seowon; the garden and tea house Soswaewon; and the Jongmyo Shrine. Her camera work brings together both nature and the built structures, and reveals the souls of the three places.

The purity of the photographic motifs sharpens one’s eye for the often-overlooked beauty and harmony in the built environment, as well as the care for craft and composition. This book is a reminder of our often fleeting and careless perceptions.

The photographic essays are accompanied by two texts: Korean architect Byoung Soo Cho offers insight into the cultural and architectural history of the sites, while photographer and writer Eugénie Shinkle focuses on the “making” of the photographs.


«Besser lässt sich die symbolische und spirituelle Dimension dieser Architektur nicht einfangen
TAGESANZEIGER

“This seemingly simple book is a thought-provoking collection of things.”
Drawing Matter


With photographs by Hélène Binet

With essays by Byoung Soo Cho, Eugénie Shinkle

Design: Integral Lars Müller

24 × 30 cm, 9 ½ × 11 ¾ in

236 pages, 151 illustrations

hardback

2021, 978-3-03778-652-9, English
CHF 65.00

Hélène Binet

Hélène Binet (*1959) was born in Sorengo, Switzerland, and is of both Swiss and French descent. She grew up in Rome where she studied photography at the Instituto Europeo di Design and soon developed an interest in architectural photography. Hélène Binet has photographed both contemporary and historical architecture, including the work of architects Zaha Hadid, Daniel Libeskind, and Peter Zumthor. More recently, she has started to direct her attention to landscape photography, wherein she transposes key concerns of her architectural photography. Hélène Binet’s work has been published in a wide range of books, and is shown in both national and international exhibitions. An advocate of analogue photography, Hélène Binet works exclusively with film.