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Yi Kyung-woo, Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering
& Shin Jakyung, Professor in the Department of Craft
To say that human history is the story of discovering materials and learning to control their properties is no exaggeration. Materials engineering has advanced technology by uncovering the fundamental laws of matter, while metalwork has created value by bringing artistic imagination and new questions to cold materials.
Although engineering and art are different fields, materials engineering and metalwork overlap in many ways. When they intersect, engineering data and artistic imagination push one another’s boundaries and open new technical possibilities.
Professor YiI believe metalwork and materials engineering share the same roots. If craftsmen carry on the tradition of blacksmiths who relied on their senses to create objects, then materials engineering is the process of quantifying that endeavor and mechanizing it for mass production. The two fields are so closely connected that, in the past, professors from our department even lectured in the metalwork department on casting and welding techniques.
Professor ShinWhile the scale differs, the fact that equipment used for experiments in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering is also used to produce artwork in the Department of Craft shows how similar the two fields truly are.
Professor ShinLast semester, an architecture student proposed a bold design without fully understanding material properties. It required not only bending metal plates but connecting them smoothly in an S-shape. Students in our department would not have attempted such a design, but that unfamiliar approach prompted us to explore new manufacturing processes.
Professor YiThat is precisely the beauty of interaction. Engineers tend to think first about why something theoretically will not work, which limits imagination. But when artists ask whether something might be possible, we begin experimenting—mixing new alloys or adjusting cooling temperatures—to push elongation limits beyond 70 percent. When our respective common sense collides, new horizons open.
This history of human civilization can be understood as a process of technological development driven by raising the temperature of fire. As fire grew hotter, people successively created pottery, bronze, and iron tools. Without precise instruments, artisans relied on experience and intuition to control dangerous molten metal and ultimately achieved remarkable things.
Professor YiHumankind began as a weak species, but once we learned to control fire, we became masters of the cave. When fire temperatures surpassed 600°C, pottery emerged, and the Neolithic Age began. At 900°C, the Bronze Age arrived, and above 1300°C, the Iron Age was born. The history of raising fire’s temperature is essentially the history of probing the essence of matter. The Industrial Revolution and the birth of electricity also came from persistent attempts to handle higher energy and surpass materials’ critical points.
Professor ShinYour words remind me of our workshop. For artists, temperature is non-negotiable. To set the machine correctly to cast metal, you must know its exact melting point. Iron melts above 1400°C, but we heat it to around 1500°C when working. We also account for the sharp temperature drop that occurs the moment the metal leaves the furnace and is poured.
Professor YiThe figure of 1500°C is also significant in engineering. Iron is difficult to control because its melting point varies widely depending on carbon concentration. The expertise of blacksmiths who, without thermometers, adjusted these minute differences based solely on fire color and the viscosity of molten metal is an extraordinary technical achievement.
Professor YiI would choose the Sacred Bell of Great King Seongdeok. Cast in the late 8th century, this 20 ton bell is a masterpiece of exceptional craftsmanship. Korea lacked proper copper mines at the time, so the bell was made by melting bronze utensils and small bells donated from various regions. Completing such a massive casting was already monumental, but the intricate inscriptions and the bell’s clear, majestic resonance represent a level of craftsmanship unmatched in world metallurgy. It stands as the pinnacle of artistry born from meticulous technique.
Professor ShinRecently, I’ve been fascinated by working with cast iron, and perhaps because of that, iron feels especially meaningful to me. Silver is so soft that even the smallest scratch affects the final piece, so I handle it cautiously. Iron, however, endures rough handling with a quiet strength. When I directly control that brief moment when cold iron turns red hot and softens, I find myself asking how far I can push the material. The sculptural answers that emerge from this process are invaluable to a craftsman.
Engineering and craft give materials new reasons to exist and raise questions about future sustainability. The commitment to asking why, rather than settling for definitive answers, gives our lives unique value and pushes us beyond technological limits.
Professor ShinDuring my studies in Germany, I often wondered why I should create more objects when inexpensive, high quality manufactured goods were already everywhere. After much reflection, I concluded that my role was to give objects a new reason to exist by introducing forms or concepts that had never existed before. Breathing new life into discarded silver spoons or pieces of iron becomes, in itself, a question about sustainability.
Professor YiThis is a crucial issue in engineering as well. To obtain just one gram of gold, which we value highly, ten tons of waste are generated. Silver extraction produces thousands of times more waste. Iron, however, is relatively abundant and easy to recycle. If emerging technologies—such as hydrogen reduction ironmaking, which emits only water instead of carbon—were combined with an artist’s imagination, the value of the material could increase even further.
Professor ShinWhen supported by technology, the scope of what we can imagine expands. For example, to reduce single use items, I sometimes wonder what would happen if metal could fold like paper. Imagine cups made from shape memory alloys that fold for portability and unfold when hot coffee is poured in. When imagination meets technology, new uses for humanity can emerge.
Professor ShinSNU students are often so afraid of making mistakes that they hesitate to ask questions, focusing instead on giving the correct answers. But in reality—especially in craft work, where pressing a button on a 3D printer cannot solve everything—true skill comes from asking why something does not work and applying that knowledge. Just as the dedication to manually polishing the rough edges of laser cut titanium determines the final quality of a piece, the willingness to question is essential.
Professor YiAsking questions means recognizing what you do not know. It is also a way of checking where you stand. I have tried many methods to draw questions out of my students. Interestingly, while they may hesitate to speak up, they actually have many questions. Reading the anonymous notes or message boards they submit, I am always impressed by the depth of their thinking. Professors are always waiting for students’ questions, so I hope they will not confine themselves to the box of correct answers and will ask freely.
Professor Yi, who “traces human history through humanity’s mastery of fire,” is a professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, researching and teaching steel manufacturing processes and single crystal growth. As Vice President of the Korean Society for Engineering Education and Senior Vice President of the Accreditation Board for Engineering Education of Korea, he has worked to improve engineering education nationwide and helped strengthen liberal arts and foundational education at Seoul National University. Driven by his interest in the development and future of human civilization, he co-authored 「Civilization Revisited」 and 「The Arrogance of Civilization and the Resentment of Culture」. He also wrote 「The History of Fire, Energy, and Materials」, which interprets human progress in relation to the temperature of fire and the evolution of materials.
Professor Shin, who “creates work that questions the value and purpose of objects,” is a professor of metalwork in the Department of Craft. She has studied and taught metalwork and contemporary jewelry, including at the Academy of Fine Arts Nuremberg in Germany. Her work investigates how objects gain meaning through form, concept, and craftsmanship. Her pieces are held in major collections such as the Deutsches Goldschmiedehaus in Hanau, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Grassi Museum in Leipzig, and the Seoul Museum of Craft Art.
