Oliver Wainwright in North Korea – Pyongyang interiors & bizarre colors

4 min read
Oliver Wainwright - National Drama Theatre, Pyongyang
1 Oliver Wainwright – National Drama Theatre, Pyongyang

Kitsch and retro interiors in North Korea

Oliver Wainwright 1 North Korean Interiors documents the unique architecture and the interiors of various regions of North Korea 2 and its capital Pyongyang 3.

Not many photographers get the opportunity to explore this isolated country owing to its closed state; however, Wainwright took the opportunity and ran with it.

The interiors that he documented were very kitsch and retro as they were created to adorn important theaters and buildings designed during the Soviet era.

Oliver Wainwright - Grand People’s Study House, Pyongyang, 1982
2 Oliver Wainwright – Changgwang San Hotel, Pyongyang, 1982, 2015
Oliver Wainwright - Kim Jong Suk Creche, Pyongyang
3 Oliver Wainwright – Kim Jong Suk Creche, Pyongyang, 2015
Oliver Wainwright - National Drama Theatre, Pyongyang
4 Oliver Wainwright – National Drama Theatre, Pyongyang, 2015
Oliver Wainwright - Pyongyang Diplomatic Club
5 Oliver Wainwright – Pyongyang Diplomatic Club, 2015

What Oliver Wainwright discovered in North Korea

When Wainwright first visited Pyongyang 4 on a 10-day tour, a large part of him expected to see dilapidated buildings that had been affected by years of decline and decay. To his surprise, he discovered that old buildings characterized the city. Yet, inside, some of them were modern and bedecked by the most unexpected bright and colorful hues.

Oliver Wainwright – Conference Room, Pyongyang, 2015
6 Oliver Wainwright – Conference Room, Pyongyang, 2015
Oliver Wainwright - Pyongyang Diplomatic Club
7 Oliver Wainwright – Pyongyang Diplomatic Club, 2015

Wainwright managed to document fascinating techniques and designs in architecture; many of the buildings were designed to symbolize the culture and the attitudes of the people. For instance, the Pyongyang Ice Rink is shaped like a skater’s cap, while the gym at Chongchun Sports Street is shaped to resemble a pair of dumbbells.

Oliver Wainwright - Changgwang San Hotel, Pyongyang
8 Oliver Wainwright – Changgwang San Hotel, Pyongyang, 2015
Oliver Wainwright - Changgwang San Hotel, Pyongyang
9 Oliver Wainwright – Changgwang San Hotel, Pyongyang, 2015

The North Korean government & their plans for tourism

According to Wainwright, this was part of the government’s effort to transform the country into the next most popular tourist destination 56. By 2020, the communist 7 government expects to draw in more than 2 new million visitors 89.

Oliver Wainwright - Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, 1989 (renovated 2014)
10 Oliver Wainwright – Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, 1989 (renovated 2014), 2015
Oliver Wainwright - Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, 1989 (renovated 2014)
11 Oliver Wainwright – Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, 1989 (renovated 2014), 2015
Oliver Wainwright - Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, 1989 (renovated 2014)
12 Oliver Wainwright – Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, 1989 (renovated 2014), 2015
Oliver Wainwright - Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, 1989 (renovated 2014)
13 Oliver Wainwright – Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, 1989 (renovated 2014), 2015

The evolution of North Korea’s architecture

During the Cold War 10, North Korean architecture underwent a revolution to produce unique designs. According to Wainwright, the color craze started about ten years ago because, according to historical evidence, photographs of the same buildings were not as colorful in the 1990s.

Many of the buildings that Wainwright encountered were newly painted; the marble mosaics were replaced by new and shiny materials such as vinyl. In general, the colors have transformed North Korea 11 into one large socialist dreamland 1213.

Oliver Wainwright - Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, 1989 (renovated 2014)
14 Oliver Wainwright – Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, 1989 (renovated 2014), 2015
Oliver Wainwright - Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, 1989 (renovated 2014)
15 Oliver Wainwright – Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, 1989 (renovated 2014), 2015
Oliver Wainwright - Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, 1989 (renovated 2014)
16 Oliver Wainwright – Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, 1989 (renovated 2014), 2015
Oliver Wainwright - Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, Pyongyang
17 Oliver Wainwright – Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, 1989 (renovated 2014), 2015

Video: Oliver Wainwright speaks about his visits to North Korea

YouTube video
46min 50sec
From 11min 10sec

Conclusion

The colorful buildings demonstrate the political atmosphere in North Korea 14; all aspects of tourism are very controlled where nothing spontaneous or unexpected is ever allowed to occur. It appears as though all the colorful buildings, though impressive, were staged for photography.

Oliver Wainwright - Yanggakdo International Hotel, Pyongyang, 1995
18 Oliver Wainwright – Yanggakdo International Hotel, Pyongyang, 1995, 2015
Oliver Wainwright - Changgwang Health and Recreation Complex, Pyongyang, 1981-86
19 Oliver Wainwright – Changgwang Health and Recreation Complex, Pyongyang, 1981-86, 2015
Oliver Wainwright - Changgwang Health and Recreation Complex, Pyongyang, 1981-86
20 Oliver Wainwright – Changgwang Health and Recreation Complex, Pyongyang, 1981-86, 2015
Oliver Wainwright - Changgwang Health and Recreation Complex, Pyongyang, 1981-86
21 Oliver Wainwright – Changgwang Health and Recreation Complex, Pyongyang, 1981-86, 2015
Oliver Wainwright - Changgwang Health and Recreation Complex, Pyongyang, 1981-86
22 Oliver Wainwright – Changgwang Health and Recreation Complex, Pyongyang, 1981-86, 2015

All images by Oliver Wainwright unless otherwise noted.
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Footnotes

1. https://publicdelivery.org/tag/oliver-wainwright/
2. https://publicdelivery.org/tag/north-korea/
3. https://publicdelivery.org/tag/pyongyang/
4. https://publicdelivery.org/tag/pyongyang/
5. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-northkorea-usa-economy/kims-top-aides-on-economic-tour-as-north-korea-looks-to-vietnam-model-idUKKCN1QG1HW
6. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-northkorea-usa-economy/kims-top-aides-on-economic-tour-as-north-korea-looks-to-vietnam-model-idUKKCN1QG1HW
7. https://publicdelivery.org/tag/communist/
8. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/north-korea/articles/North-Korea-hopes-to-welcome-2-million-tourists/
9. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/north-korea/articles/North-Korea-hopes-to-welcome-2-million-tourists/
10. https://publicdelivery.org/tag/cold-war/
11. https://publicdelivery.org/tag/north-korea/
12. https://publicdelivery.org/eddo-hartmann-pyongyang-north-korea/
13. https://publicdelivery.org/eddo-hartmann-pyongyang-north-korea/
14. https://publicdelivery.org/tag/north-korea/
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3. https://publicdelivery.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Oliver-Wainwright-Kim-Jong-Suk-Creche-Pyongyang.jpg
4. https://publicdelivery.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Oliver-Wainwright-National-Drama-Theatre-Pyongyang-2.jpg
5. https://publicdelivery.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Oliver-Wainwright-Pyongyang-Diplomatic-Club-1.jpg
6. https://publicdelivery.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Oliver-Wainwright-–-Conference-Room-Pyongyang-2015.jpg
7. https://publicdelivery.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Oliver-Wainwright-Pyongyang-Diplomatic-Club-2.jpg
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