The Forum

The highlight of the newly renovated space of The Hyundai Daegu is ‘The Forum created by artist & designer, Jaime Hayon. It is a 4.565m2 cultural space and cafe that occupies the entire floor at the top of the building.

The Forum consists of the Café Walking Cup, the Colosseum, an indoor plaza to host performances and lectures, and the Gates Garden, an outdoor sculpture park with seven large statues as tall as 9 meters. In addition, The Forum Shop offers diverse design products inspired by design elements of the space, along with an exhibition to share the creative process behind Jaime Hayon’s creative process. Green House offers a space for customers to relax and rest in an indoor greenhouse.

According to Hayon: “The collaboration with The Hyundai Daegu has been very special. It has provided me an opportunity to deliver artistic inspiration and vitality to people. I wanted to give the experience of traveling to a new planet as people move through this space made of different rich areas.”

“I think the heart of The Forum is the Colosseum. It is the center of the space and is designed in an open form so that other spaces can be viewed from inside. I thought of it as space for people to gather at any time for diverse events like performances and lectures.”

“I paid a lot of attention to the overall structure and emphasized originality by adding unique patterns on the floor and walls. I was mainly inspired by ancient Egyptian wall paintings as well as Greek and Roman civilizations. Attention has been paid not only to the patterns but also to the material. I wanted to create a more three-dimensional shape by applying ceramics or crystals so that people could feel as if they were in a different time and space.”

“I also participated in branding design for the cafe. I am a huge coffee lover myself. I always carry a coffee cup with me. So, I came up with the design of the walking cup by imagining a cup that moves with me as if it had legs. I like it very much.”