Anyone who has seen the Glue Society’s Watch With Mother series will understand that it has both an unholy fascination and a mighty flair for the macabre. The collective was so perfectly equipped to take on its newest work for Wieden + Kennedy Tokyo and Netflix. It’s a three-storey museum of historical artefacts at the Song Won Art Center in Seoul, Korea, that allows visitors to immerse themselves in the rich (imagined) history of Netflix’ original horror series, Kingdom. To imagine (or believe) that it’s real.
That imagination is fed with riches – gruesome, terrifying exhibits, such as dormant undead humans that come to life when cooled in their glass enclosures, severed limbs and skewered skulls.
Great care was taken in creating the relics using many traditional techniques to be authentic to the time period. Fiction takes a back seat for visitors. The reality The Glue Society has created is overwhelming.
Netflix has also launched a video that enhances the “fictional reality” of the museum even furthert. The Massacre of Kingdom Documentary explains the events of Kingdom, recast as an actual historical event.
Scott Dungate, executive creative director of W+K Tokyo, commented, “Working within a rich narrative world is something W+K Tokyo absolutely relishes, because these projects demand a high level of craft to meet the even higher expectations of the audience. While creating such a craft driven work remotely sounds challenging, partnering with the The Glue Society in Australia and having great partners and clients on the ground in Seoul, really helped bring an elaborate project to life.”
Luke Nuto, experiential director at The Glue Society, added, “It’s always a thrill working on a project like this with such a talented team. The Netflix series, Kingdom, breathes new life into the zombie genre, bringing a rich historical context to a plague of the undead. Kingdom blends the worlds of historical drama and horror, weaving history and fantasy with deft sociopolitical commentary.
“From the outset, we set ourselves the rule that every detail had to live up the quality and precision of a real museum. From hand-blown glass and mummified artifacts to a traditionally carved wooden pagoda – that we then set on fire. By partnering with W+K Tokyo and SketchedSPACE, and with the continued support of Revolver/Will O’Rourke, we were able to realise a shared vision with immaculate attention to detail. It has been immensely satisfying to create a rich and rewarding multidimensional experience for a such massive fan base. We filled three-weeks of booking slots in less than a day, prompting extended hours of operation to satisfy the bloodthirsty fans.”
For fans outside Seoul, a 360 degree virtual tour of part of the exhibition, Living Dead 360 Experience, has also been launched by Netflix.
Credits:
Client: Netflix Korea
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo
Executive Creative Director: Scott Dungate
Creative Director: Jordi Luna
Lead Creative Team: Sol Oh & So Hyun An
Artistic & Experiential Director: The Glue Society
Production Companies: Revolver/Will O’Rourke & sketchedSPACE
