ca-va.life — The NAVY Magazine

카바, 라이프 ca-va.life
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그래픽 디자이너 최지연과 건축 디자이너 박치동, 그리고 브랜딩 및 문화 프로젝트 기획자 최서연은 동시대 문화와 예술에 항상 관심이 많았습니다. 그들이 음악, 예술, 전시 등을보고 겪은 다양한 작품과 작가 개인의 이야기는 아주 매력적이었어요. 한정된 시간 안에 열리는 전시만을 위해 존재하다 창고로 사라지는 작업과 작품들을 실제로 판매할 수 있는‘공간’을 만들고 싶었습니다. 물론 공간이 항상 물리적인 개념일 필요는 없죠. 수년의 구상과 무수한 작가들을 직접 만난 1년여 준비 끝에 창작자와 예술가들의 작업을 전시하고, 또 구매하는 온라인 플랫폼 ’카바 라이프 ca-va.life’를 만듭니다.

카바는 기본적으로 모바일과 웹사이트 기반 플랫폼이지만, 1년에 두 차례 팝업 매장을 열기로 합니다. 정식 공개와 더불어 선보인 첫 번째 '오프라인' 팝업 매장은 유유자적한 한남동 유엔빌리지 골목에서 열리고 있습니다.

ca-va.life는 보다시피 ‘닷컴 .com’ 대신 ‘닷라이프 .life’ 도메인을 사용하는 예술 쇼핑 플랫폼입니다. 간결하고 세련된 웹사이트에서 작가들의 작업을 보고 주문하면, 작가들이 직접 포장하고 배송하는 사진과 포스터, 수조에 담긴 조명과 음악 가사를 새긴 모자, 평범하지 않은 자태의 식물을 선별하여 직접 만든 화분, 농구공에 걸터 앉는 행위에서 영감을얻은 스툴과 버려진 물건들을 꿰어 맞추고 조립한 조각, 개인전에 사용한 향초 작품과 손바닥만한 크기의 회화, 그리고 소수의 여성복과 순금 장신구 등을 집까지 받아볼 수 있습니다.

지금 열리는 팝업 매장에는 수백 개의 크고 작은 작품이 공간을 채우고 있습니다. 하지만 최소한으로 필요한 스태프와 디렉터들만이 상주합니다. 사진에 보이는 것처럼 공간에 있는 여러 작품에는 하나씩 플라스틱 번호표가 달려 있어요. 처음 공간에 들어서면, '카카오톡 플러스 친구 추가 후, 번호를 대화창에 넣으면 작품 설명을 볼 수 있다'는 안내를 받게됩니다. 지금까지 이러한 알림 기능을 사용한 패션 브랜드의 쿠폰 이벤트 등은 보았으나, 그 자체의 매력이 떨어졌고 단지 할인 받기 위해 썼다가 바로 지우는 조금 ‘불편한 친구’였습니다.

이곳에서 카카오톡의 알림 기능을 사용한 건 매력적이었어요. 오프라인 팝업 매장에 응당 존재하던 설명과 구매 시스템을 온라인 플랫폼으로 자연스럽게 바꾼 점이 마음에 들었습니다. 일반적인 쇼핑은 물론이거니와, 개인적으로 '예술'을 경험하는 공간에서도 일일이 도슨트의 설명을 듣고 싶지 않은 이들도 존재하니까요.

최서연은 카바 라이프를 설명하며 '새로운 쇼핑'이라는 문장을 꺼냈습니다. 우리 주변 꽤 가까운 곳에 예술이란 존재하지만, 실제로 체감하는 거리는 퍽 멀죠. 가까이서, 사적인 공간을 채우고 놓을 수 있는 이렇게 훌륭한 작가들이 주위에 있습니다, 라고 속삭이는 느낌을 이 공간과 웹사이트 모두에서 받습니다.

각설하고, 이 새로운 예술 플랫폼은 상당히 흥미롭습니다. 어제 방문하여 작품 하나를 구매했고, 평범한 소비자 관점에서 생각한 카바 라이프와 팝업 매장에 관한 생각을 더 네이비 매거진에 올릴 예정입니다. 매장은 2018년 5월 5일 토요일까지 문을 엽니다. 부디 시간을 내어 한 번 방문해보시길 권합니다.

Graphic designer Choi Jiyeon, architectural designer Park Chidong, and branding and cultural project organizer Choi Seoyeon have always been interested in contemporary culture and art. The variety of works and individual stories they went through while watching music, art, exhibitions, etc. were very attractive. They wanted to create a space where we could actually sell works and work that existed only for a limited amount of time and disappeared into a warehouse. Of course, space doesn't have to be a physical concept all the time. After more than a year of planning and preparing to meet countless writers in person, the online platform "ca-va.life" that displays and purchases the work of creators and artists.

ca-va.life is basically a mobile and website-based platform, but they want to open a pop-up store twice a year. The first 'offline' pop-up shop with official release is being held in the U.N. Village Alley in Hannam-dong, Seoul.

As you can see, this is an art shopping platform that uses the 'life' domain. If you look at the artists work on a concise and sophisticated website and order them, you'll get photos and posters that the authors pack and deliver themselves, a hat with music lyrics and a lighting in the water tank, a flowerpot with unusual features, a stool inspired by hanging objects in a basketball, pieces that were sewed up and assembled, even a handful of perfumes and palm-sized women's gold jewelry.

Hundreds of big and small pieces fill the space in the pop-up store. However, only the staff and directors that are required at least are there. As you can see in the picture, many of the pieces in the space have plastic number tags one by one. When you enter the space for the first time, you will be instructed to 'add a Kakao Talk Plus friend' and then insert the number into the chat window to see the description of the work. So far, I've seen a fashion brand's coupon event using this alerting feature, but it's not as attractive as this, and it was a little 'uncomfortable' just to get a discount.

The use of Kakao Talk's alerting function was attractive. I liked the explanation that existed at the offline pop-up store and the natural change of the purchasing system to the online platform. There are people who don't want to hear docent's explanation, not only in general shopping, but also in a space where they experience art personally.

Choi Seoyeon mentioned the phrase 'New Shopping' while describing ca-va.life. Art exists pretty close to us, but it's a long way from where we actually feel it. You get this sense of whispering, in both the space and on the website, that there are these great artists around, who can fill in and put in a private space.

So this new art platform is very interesting. I visited yesterday and bought a piece of work, and I'm going to put in more The NAVY Magazine the idea of ca-va.life and pop-up store from an average consumer's perspective. The store will be open until Saturday, May 5, 2018. Please take the time to visit.


CAVA LIFE IS HERE!
2018. 4.13 FRI - 5.05 SAT
11:00 - 20:00 (월요일 휴무) 용산구 한남동 1-41 2F (유엔빌리지길 254)
ca-va.life