EN
The facade takes after that of many buildings in North korea - monumental, symmetric, and repetitive. Its colours draw from the somewhat typical palette of faded candy pastels and more contrasting hues. The uniformity in facades and colour scheme of these buildings collectively express the vision for a socialist utopia1.
Yet, what lies below the facade is the much more complicated phenomenon of a nation caught between polar forces - the socialist agenda that the government projects in the official realm co-exists in contradiction with the organic emergence of a people-driven private market3 that was created by women traders after the collapse of the North Korean economy in 1990s.
An excerpt from an interview with a North Korean woman captures this duality well:
“It’s all about a person’s ability to make money... We are socialist on the surface, and non-socialist on the inside.” 7
- “Lee”,
Trader of diesel, blueberries, and fertiliser
The facade takes after that of many buildings in North korea - monumental, symmetric, and repetitive. Its colours draw from the somewhat typical palette of faded candy pastels and more contrasting hues. The uniformity in facades and colour scheme of these buildings collectively express the vision for a socialist utopia1.
Yet, what lies below the facade is the much more complicated phenomenon of a nation caught between polar forces - the socialist agenda that the government projects in the official realm co-exists in contradiction with the organic emergence of a people-driven private market3 that was created by women traders after the collapse of the North Korean economy in 1990s.
An excerpt from an interview with a North Korean woman captures this duality well:
“It’s all about a person’s ability to make money... We are socialist on the surface, and non-socialist on the inside.” 7
- “Lee”,
Trader of diesel, blueberries, and fertiliser
CN
建筑的正面模仿了朝鲜壮观、对称以及重复性强的建筑风格。色彩取决于点典型的粉彩色与较对比鲜明的色调。 这些建筑的外墙与配色方案表达了对社会主义乌托邦的愿景1。
工厂的表面却隐藏着一个更为复杂的现象——政府在官方领域维持的社会主义方案与人民创造的私人市场的对立与并存。1990 年代朝鲜经济崩溃后，女商人带领了朝鲜私人市场的发展3。
一位朝鲜女性采访的摘录体现了这种社会二元性：
建筑的正面模仿了朝鲜壮观、对称以及重复性强的建筑风格。色彩取决于点典型的粉彩色与较对比鲜明的色调。 这些建筑的外墙与配色方案表达了对社会主义乌托邦的愿景1。
工厂的表面却隐藏着一个更为复杂的现象——政府在官方领域维持的社会主义方案与人民创造的私人市场的对立与并存。1990 年代朝鲜经济崩溃后，女商人带领了朝鲜私人市场的发展3。
一位朝鲜女性采访的摘录体现了这种社会二元性：
“一切取决于一个人的赚钱能力……我们表面上是社会主义者，内心却非社会主义。”7
——李某，
柴油、蓝莓和化肥商人