In celebration of the opening of the Dongdaemun Design Park, DDP, ‘Zaha Hadid_360°’ presented an exhibition exploring Zaha Hadid’s multidisciplinary vision.

Hadid consistently pushes boundaries with her interrogation of new spatial concepts to pursue a visionary aesthetic in the interrelated fields of urbanism, architecture and design, to affirm Hadid’s concept of a new generational social complexity to be affirmed in art, design, and fashion.

Discernible in the DDP building is one of Hadid’s overriding facets of her practice; the rigorous interface between architecture, landscape, and geology as she integrates natural topography and human made systems with cutting edge technologies. This radical synergy culminates in the complex geometry, seamlessness and unmistakable dynamism of her oeuvre.

Rather than focusing on the architect’s role in building design, ‘Zaha Hadid_360°’ offered insight into her original approach to architecture and the dynamic application of her creative energy in other fields, through her incremental engagement in practice, teaching, and research.

A common challenge to innovate formally, technically, or materially, converses between Hadid’s conception of architecture and that of design.

‘Whether in large scale such as buildings or small scale such as jewellery, architects are designing for the end user. Many of the same ideas and principles used in our architecture can be applied to our design for products… It’s about collaboration and what these practices and processes can contribute to one another.’

This erudition of Hadid’s designs spans the borders of architecture, art and design, to enhance the experience of the end user in Hadid’s architectural dissent. ‘Zaha Hadid_360°’ explored the processes of a world leading architect who transcends existing confines to experiment with a diverse programme and medium. The wide variety of works of one of the most innovative architects of our generation was brought together; in a hope that the exhibition would inspire visitors of all ages to rethink new techniques, media and ideas.

The first exhibition, held in the Design Experience Zone Lobby from 11-27 March, showcased the relationship between Hadid’s unique architectural language and that of industrial design, in particular in relation to the ‘Seoul Fashion Week’ opening event at the DDP.

Its sequential exhibition, opened on the 4th April in the International Conference Hall, included material about the DDP building like drawings, architectural models, and photographs to further draw on Hadid’s radical approach to the Design Park, in addition to a video projection which introduced a key selection of projects spanning 30 years of Zaha Hadid’s practice.

‘Zaha Hadid_360°’ was thus an exhibition showcasing Hadid’s innovation built on over three decades of insurgent exploration to encompass all fields of design, from the grand urban to the domestic. This exhibition celebrated the work of one of the foremost architects of our generation.