> Cyber Museum

From the lobby of the Museum, Mut-madang is visible to the right, the Middle Garden in front, and the Research Room and the stairway to the 2nd floor on the left. In the lobby, through the glass wall, statues of a singer and a drummer, an icon of the Museum, are also visible.

The Museum was designed centering on the Middle Garden, which holds the statues. Visitors are guided to each exhibition room around the Middle Garden in a clockwise manner. In the Mut-madang, many genre paintings are displayed, including pictures depicting Pansori singers on the deck, ropewalkers, a sixtieth birthday party, and a wedding, all of which contribute to deeper understanding of Pansori.



Next to Mut-madang is the Hall of Great Pansori Singers, a dimly lighted round-shaped exhibition room. The Hall is shaped into the got, a traditional Korean top hat that resembles a cone. A Korean drum is hung in the air, creating the image of collaboration between the drum and sori (sound) and consequently enhancing the holy and solemn atmosphere. Live concerts of Pansori performances are shown through a vim-projector. Large pictures of great singers are also displayed under the theme of ¡®the World Intangible Heritage and Pansori.¡¯



The Sound Court provides visitors with an opportunity to think about the definition, features, origins, and history of Pansori. Through the relics of famous singers such as drums, folding fans, scripts, and CDs, they are able to learn about the world of Pansori and reflect on this genre of art. The Court¡¯s History Corner shows the history of Pansori through various replicas. In The Footprint of Singers¡¯ Lives exhibit, many materials related to Pansori are preserved and put on display. Just as this breathtaking exhibit takes the sound from your lips, the fascinating and exceptional songs of many legendary singers only remain as the echoes of the sounds in the Sound Court.

Dongri Shin Jae-hyo scripted until-then-orally transmitted Pansori epic chants on paper, which allowed people to access unified Pansori scores. Shinsigajangbon and Sungdubon were among the major editions of Pansori. Other important materials include LPs, which have significant value as rare evidence of the sounds of great singers.

At the end of the Sound Court is the Dongri Prize Corner, which was established to commemorate Dongri¡¯s spirit for Pansori. The songs of the great singers are viewed as awards inherited by the visitors of the Museum.




The lives of Shin Jae-hyo and other singers of Gochang are illuminated in Aniri-mading. The advent of Pansori theorists such as Shin Jae-hyo has very significant meaning. In an artistic genre, the formation of theories implies maturation and identification of that genre, providing chances for further development and prosperity. Shin Jae-hyo provided the theoretical foundation for the art of Gwangdae (entertainers), which had been suffering from social discrimination. He is said to have been praised and respected by many Gwandaes by accentuating where the genre developed.

Aniri-mading houses the records of Shin Jae-hyo¡¯s life, such as a Korean traditional screen and his writings and correspondences with Daewongun and Hojukdanja. It also exudes the spirits of many great Gochang singers such as Jin Chaesun, Kim Chanrok, Kim Chanup, Kim Tosan, Huh Geumpa, Kim Sohee, Kim Isu, and Kim Yeoran. In Gochang, Shin is known to have educated many Pansori singers, such as Kim Saejong, Lee Alchi, Park Mansun, Kim Changrok, and Jung Changup.



Balrim-madang is equipped with a magnificent audio system that enables visitors to listen to six parts of an epic Pansori chant. This room contains the Gujunsimsu Classroom, where Pansori is learned orally but earned through the heart. Visitors can learn simple tunes and techniques such as Gobup. In addition, they can observe how singers practiced and mastered their sounds. Usually, singers started their training as apprentices of famous singers, and went through painstaking practices in caves or temples located deep within mountains before the enlightened moment of acquiring their true voice and birth as great singers. The symbolic space for such a moment is referred to as the sound cave. Caves are reminiscent of our throat, and signify reincarnation, birth, and the female genitalia. The sound analyzer is used to test the voices of singers following the folklore that after finishing their extensive practice and attaining their true voice, singers must test their performance by competing with the sound of waterfalls.



In Hon-madang, Pansori may be appreciated visually through a combination of intangible art form and digital technology. Thanks to advanced electronic technology, images of performances are preserved and dramatic effects added to the original scenes through editing. Recent developments in video technology have paved a new way of displaying intangible art. In this court, not only the concept and history of Pansori but also the rhythms and voice-acquiring process are explained experientially by displaying the live concerts of great singers.



The Multipurpose Room was dedicated to Kim Sohee, one of the greatest Pansori singers of her time. It was established to commemorate the 10th anniversary of her passing and to provide visitors with an opportunity to listen to her voice and to enhance their understanding of Pansori.

The panels depicting her life, characteristics of her sound, and her singing style are displayed along with about 150 of her relics and LPs. Video records of her funeral and memorial performance are played on a monitor in the Multipurpose Room continuously.