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essay

If you ask me what an OS is, the answer is common sense!

Writer: Seok Jae-won
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In the middle of a bustling alley leading to Picasso Alley from the main gate of Hongik University, there is a lively coin karaoke building that plays K-pop 24 hours a day. When you take the elevator to the 5th floor, the noise-cancelling of AirPods suddenly becomes quiet as if they are turned on, and a pure white door with 'AABB OS' written on it appears. Open the door and go inside. The ultra-small complex cultural space 'OS' awaits you. What exactly is OS? To hear the answer, I contacted Seok Jae-won, one of the OS's management team. The format I initially requested was clearly an 'essay' about OS. Somehow it ended up becoming an 'interview'...?! Now, we invite you to the world of 'self-interviews' carefully written by the OS management team. Meet the true identity of OS, which introduces itself as a library, bookstore, art gallery, and lecture hall in front of Hongik University, in this article.

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Part of the OS Book Collection

So what is OS?

OS is a space where various cultural events planned by members of design studio AABB are held. At the end of 2023, we moved our office from Itaewon to Hongdae, and the space was bigger than we thought. We decided to boldly invest half of our office space and try out the things we’ve always wanted to do. First, we started with the library.

So is the OS a library?

According to the Standard Korean Dictionary, a library is defined as "a facility that gathers all kinds of books, documents, records, publications, and other materials and makes them available to the public." However, there are books that cannot be found in libraries. They are books that are published in very small quantities to begin with and are not distributed in libraries, let alone bookstores. OS aims to be a library that collects and introduces books that have chosen to publish as a means of creation, that is, books published independently in small quantities. We are particularly interested in books published by designers. In addition, we try to collect books that stand out with new attempts by young designers rather than those by well-known established designers.

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 OS Book Collection. Photo: Park Do-hyun

We do not believe that a 'book' is simply the result of giving materiality to a manuscript. Since the content and form of a book are inseparable, we believe that we can create unique books by utilizing this relationship. As a result, OS cannot help but pay attention to books in which designers serve as authors and editors. Among the books born from such attempts, there are quite a few that have achieved brilliant results in terms of content and form that far surpass established grammar. However, since they are not popular enough to be distributed in general bookstores, they are usually produced in very small quantities, and after briefly appearing in the world through book fairs or exhibitions, they quickly disappear. We were very disappointed by this. Of course, there are good bookstores that handle independent publications, such as 'The Book Society', but there are also quite a few that are produced in such small quantities that it is difficult to enter them, or in such unique forms that are difficult to distribute. OS's goal is to support and encourage independent or small-scale publishing activities by gathering these books in one library and introducing them to more people for a long time. At the same time, we also aim to archive them well as a branch of visual art.

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OS Book Collection. Photo: Park Do-hyun

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OS Book Collection. Photo: Park Do-hyun

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OS Book Collection. Photo: Park Do-hyun

When OS has the identity of a library, it is also called 'OS Library'. OS Library currently has about 100 books in its collection and plans to continue to increase the number in the future. From Tuesday to Friday, it is open to anyone in the afternoon to visit and read books. There is no admission fee. It is completely free! It is closed on weekends, holidays, and Mondays. If you are interested in books that are uniquely interesting and touching, please feel free to stop by OS on your way to and from work. (Laughs)

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A list of OS book collections organized on the AABB homepage (aabb.kr).

OS Library also participated in the 'Gunsan Book Fair' held for the first time this year. We loaded our entire book collection onto a car and headed to Gunsan, where we operated a 'mobile library' for two days, August 8st and September 31st. In the fall, we opened a mobile library at the invitation of 'XXPRESS' in Mangwon-dong, which was selected as the 'Design Spot' of the 'Seoul Design Festival', and we also participated in the '9th Unlimited Edition' held at the Seoul Museum of Art in Buk Seoul last November. Through various events, we introduced the books we own and sold some of them, although they are not many yet.

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OS Mobile Library opened at XXPRESS in Mangwon-dong. Photo: XXPRESS

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Books published by AABB in 2024. From top: 『Emotional Diary』 『Illusionary Sense』 『Free Document Format』 『CC1』 『Figure in the Carpet』. Photo: Park Do-hyun

So is OS a bookstore?

Even Printed Matter in New York opened in the 1970s as an art space centered around publishing. OS was greatly inspired by Printed Matter. Ultimately, we believe that independent (or small-scale) publishing will become more active when there is a relationship of buying and selling books, that is, distribution. Printed Matter is a place that carries out various public programs related to publishing, such as lectures, exhibitions, and workshops, but I think its most core framework is a bookstore that distributes independent publications and operates a book fair. OS is not yet a proper bookstore, but we buy and sell books that we want to introduce widely. We also support publishing through AABB. We hope to become a proper library and bookstore that handles independent publications someday.

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OS goods. Design: Seok Jae-won, Photo: Baek Jun-yeol

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OS goods. Graphic T-shirts using flat surfaces. Design: Baek Jun-yeol, Photo: Baek Jun-yeol, Lee So-rim

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OS goods. Graphic T-shirts using flat surfaces. Design: Baek Jun-yeol, Photo: Baek Jun-yeol, Lee So-rim

OS goods. T-shirt graphic using OS' mascot, the owl. Design: Lee So-rim, Photo: Baek Jun-yeol, Lee So-rim

There used to be a bookstore called 'Gagarin' next to Gyeongbokgung Palace. It was more like a used bookstore, and anyone could consign and sell their own books if they paid a membership fee. It was like an oasis that introduced and sold books that were difficult to find in general bookstores, let alone bookstores specializing in independent publications. However, it eventually closed in 2015. What a shame. (Laughs) I'm thinking about whether OS can play the role that Gagarin used to play. For this reason, I've been helping distribute the free books made by 'SamSam (33fotopress)' for some time now.

By the way, whenever I stopped by Gagarin, the sound of the guitar played by the person who was manning the stand was really impressive. It could have been just practicing the guitar, but that beautiful sound still remains in my mind. That's why I'm thinking of developing OS into a space where I can appreciate music and art along with books.

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Part of the OS Book Collection

So is the OS an art gallery?

The exterior of OS still has the flex sign that the previous tenant used. Neither AABB nor OS really needed the sign and it was a hassle to take it down, so we left it there for a while, but then the idea of ​​using the sign as an exhibition space came to mind. Since it is a large sign located at the entrance to the busy Hongik University area, we thought that if we installed a piece of art here, there would be no better public art. We call it the 'Sign Project.'

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Sangsoo Ahn, ‹From Alpha to Heat›, 2024. Photo: Dohyun Park

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Sangsoo Ahn, ‹From Alpha to Heat›, 2024. Photo: Dohyun Park

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Sangsoo Ahn, ‹From Alpha to Heat›, 2024. Photo: Dohyun Park

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Sangsoo Ahn, ‹From Alpha to Heat›, 2024. Photo: Dohyun Park

The first work of the 'Signboard Project' is ‹From Alpha to Heeut› by designer Sangsoo Ahn of Paju Typography Bagot. Even though it was his first invitation, he readily accepted. I'm grateful. The way 'α' crosses the horizontal and vertical signs to reach the 'ㅎ' is really cool. ‹From Alpha to Heeut› is a work installed in the permanent exhibition hall of the National Museum of World Writing. It's a strangely refreshing feeling to see a work that you would normally only see in an art museum suddenly showing its presence among the commercial signs. In this sense, OS can be seen as an art museum that uses signs as an exhibition space.

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A book display stand that can be arranged in various ways. Design: Hwang Cheol-ho, Kim Ji-seong, Photo: Park Do-hyeon

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A book display stand that can be arranged in various ways. Design: Hwang Cheol-ho, Kim Ji-seong, Photo: Park Do-hyeon

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A book display stand that can be arranged in various ways. Design: Hwang Cheol-ho, Kim Ji-seong, Photo: Park Do-hyeon

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Designer Lee Byeong-hak's ‹Long Table›. Currently used as a conference table. Photo: Park Do-hyun

The interior of the OS is also being used as an exhibition space. I want people visiting the library to be visually stimulated. The display shelves where books are displayed were designed by designers Hwang Cheol-ho and Kim Ji-seong for the OS library. The shelves have grooves that symbolize the cutting lines of books, and the legs of the shelves seem to be extruded from them. The OS also features a wooden work by designer Lee Byeong-hak called ‹Long Table›. It is said to be a work that visually reproduces the repeated composition created by grids… We are using it as a conference table with glass on top. (Laughs) It is still in preparation, but we are planning and holding an exhibition. An illustration exhibition by designer Na Jun-heum, the main character of AABB’s 《Illusionary Sense》, will be held soon. Oh, and I also happen to notice that they hold a lecture called ‘OS Seminar’ once a month.

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Part of the OS Book Collection

So is the OS a lecture hall?

OS Seminar is an event where 15 participants talk with one speaker (or a team) working in the visual arts. It started in March of this year, and so far, Park Go-eun, Jeong Da-hye, Hwang Seok-won, Lee Yu-jin, y! (Kang Chae-won, Lee Seung-hyun), Oh Hye-jin, Lee Min-hee, Choi Ki-woong, Kim Hyun-jin, and formless twins (Shin Sang-ah, Lee Jae-jin) have given great lectures. As online non-face-to-face education and large-scale lecture events increase, the time spent sitting in a circle, making eye contact, and talking is becoming more precious to us.

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OS Seminar poster. Photo: Park Do-hyun

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OS Seminar appearance. Guest speaker: Hyunjin Kim, Photo: Dohyun Park

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OS Seminar appearance. Guest speaker: y! (Kang Chae-won, Lee Seung-hyun), Photo: Park Do-hyun

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OS Seminar appearance. Guest speaker: formless twins (Sang-ah Shin, Jae-jin Lee), Photo: Do-hyun Park

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Snacks for the OS Seminar of formless twins. Made intentionally amorphous. Cookies made by Hwang Se-mi, photos by Park Do-hyeon.

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Sculpture for designer Oh Hye-jin's OS Seminar. Sculpture: Baek Jun-yeol, Photo: Seok Jae-won

Since we only invite a very small number of participants, now when we post a notice to recruit participants, we get responses that are no different from 'picketing'. Those who failed to apply for participation are constantly requesting that we broadcast the lecture online or share the recording on YouTube. For the time being, we plan to enjoy the warmth of small gatherings a little more. Instead, we have started the work of compiling the lecture content into a book and recording it.

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The first record book of OS Seminar, 『CC1』, Photo: Park Do-hyun

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The first record book of OS Seminar, 『CC1』, Photo: Park Do-hyun

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The first record book of OS Seminar, 『CC1』, Photo: Park Do-hyun

So, is OS a library, a bookstore, an art gallery, a lecture hall, and everything else?

Yes. It may seem like too much greed, but we are going to try various cultural activities that reflect the tastes of the OS management team, armed with the enthusiasm of a new space that has not even been open for a year. In Hongdae, where cultural spaces are gradually disappearing, we want to become a space that plays a meaningful role centered on independent publications.

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OS management portraits. From left, Lee So-rim, Seok Jae-won, and Baek Jun-yeol. Photo: Park Do-hyun

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About

Website www.aabb.kr/library

Instagram @aabb.os.library 

Open from 14pm to 19pm, Tuesday to Friday (until 21pm on Wednesday), closed on Mondays, weekends, and public holidays

Free admission

Place

OS: 21th floor, 10, Wausan-ro 5-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul

Writer

Seok Jae-won (@jaewonseok.kr) studied visual design at Hongik University and graphic design at Yale University Graduate School, graduating with the William Pardee Prize given to the best student in the field of printing and publishing. He worked as a designer at 2x4, Yale University Art Museum, Studio Heyday, Nike, and Vinyl. Since 2015, he has been a professor in the Department of Visual Design at Hongik University and runs the design studio AABB. He has received awards from Graphis and Tokyo TDC, and his works have been exhibited at the National Hangeul Museum, Asia Culture Center, Platform-L, Typojanchi: International Biennale of Typography, London Design Biennale, Chicago International Poster Biennale, Bruno Biennale, Beijing Design Week, the Korean Cultural Center in Los Angeles, the Korean Cultural Center in South Africa, and the Korean Cultural Center in the UAE. He served as the Vice President of the Korean Typography Society from 2020 to 2021 and planned and hosted the educational program 'T/School' to examine the current status and prospects of typography in the digital age. In 2022, he was the theme exhibition of the Public Design Festival hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and KCDF. «Gilmomsaemteo»He took on the role of Chief Curator. In March 2024, he opened OS, which collects and introduces independent publications, and is currently running it with Baek Jun-yeol and Lee So-rim.

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