[The Place to SHARE Tastes: 'Salon' #4] RESPACE

RESPACE: A Group of Creative Cultural Planners The members of RESPACE, a group of people who love culture and fashion and organize various events, plan fresh cultural content under the slogan, "We create the culture we want." The office and bar of RESPACE, known as 'Ballworkbeer,' is located on the second floor of a building with a visible billiard hall sign in Yeonhui-dong. The name 'Ballworkbeer' combines 'Ball' (representing members who bounce in unpredictable directions), 'Work' (referring to the workspace), and 'Beer' (the common favorite item of these strong-willed individuals whose tastes rarely align).

Independent of corporate requests, the members of RESPACE frequently host unique events and salons here to fully express their planning skills and personal tastes, so be sure to check their Instagram. The team includes Woo-ju Won, a cultural enthusiast who adjusted the workweek to four days to travel to Japan weekly; Yong-dae Lee, a spatial designer who founded a personal brand and often handles branding tasks; Woo-young Kwon, a marketer who tours Itaewon solely for pizza; Eun-byul Yong, a natural graphic designer who even draws her diary in graphics; and CEO Dong-in Yeo, who possesses the widest range of interests and takes on the role of bringing everyone together.

We looked into how these individuals—each with different tastes and personalities as unpredictable as bouncing balls—communicate to create creative projects within the group RESPACE.

[ INTERVIEW ]

How do the members of RESPACE debate and reach a conclusion?

Yong-dae Lee: I remember directing the spatial design for the 'Dear Market' booth at DDP. I felt a strong attachment to it as I had to manage everything from design to store operations. It was one of my most interesting works recently, but I had to fight a lot with Woo-ju, the planner, to achieve satisfying results. Woo-ju Won: I was in charge of the overall design, but our opinions didn't match. That's how our members are; there is no "halfway." Everyone actively expresses what they want and has a strong desire to do well, so nobody backs down easily. Perhaps it's also because the CEO gives each of us significant roles and responsibilities.

Yong-dae Lee: It’s certain that the more we fight, the better the result. Dong-in Yeo: The process of reaching a result is tougher than you might think. I believe it’s better to fight it out until the end rather than finding a lukewarm compromise. I’ve seen that striving to find something better or proceeding with a clearly superior opinion leads to a higher level of achievement compared to settling for a moderate compromise.

Creating an open office space like 'Ballworkbeer' must have been a major turning point for RESPACE members.

Dong-in Yeo: It started from my own ambition. We needed to relocate our office, but the main reason was that I wanted our own cultural space where we could host our own events. I wanted to use it as an office during the day and a pub related to beer—which we all love—at night, sharing interesting items we planned with diverse people.

Many of your events and content seem to be based on 'communication.'

Woo-young Kwon: The 'Dear Market' fashion event was like that. It was a project that brought together new designer brands and MDs in one place, creating a space for creative people to communicate with each other. It was a successful project aimed at creating opportunities for mutual benefit.

What are the benefits of having your own hideout?

Woo-ju Won: While preparing this space, I did various things for the first time. Most of our usual projects are one-off events, but since 'Ballworkbeer' is a sustainable space, whatever content we create will accumulate here and leave a lasting impression. Also, it's great to be able to share our favorite work with more people for a longer time. Opening 'Ballworkbeer' is my most memorable project so far. Eun-byul Yong: Being able to do my work in this space as much as I want. I worked on posters for the opening party in a short period; usually, corporate-commissioned posters reflect the client's character so much that I can't fully express my design. But for the 'Ballworkbeer' posters, the CEO didn't interfere at all, so I had fun working on them.

What are the strengths of a group with such strong individualities?

Dong-in Yeo: We are a group of unique colors that don't seem like they would mix. But when these colors blend subtly, they create colors and works that haven't been seen anywhere else. I feel a sense of thrill then, realizing we are heading in the right direction. That’s why when we hire, we look for "maniacs" who clearly love something or people with styles completely different from current members. If similar people gather, their scope of thought will be similar, and the results will be ordinary. I believe RESPACE produces fresh projects because diverse people are gathered here. Eun-byul Yong: That’s also why I stay here. As diverse people continue to join and I experience different types of personalities, I get inspired in many ways, and my personal work skills are improving a lot.

Are there common tastes among members despite the different personalities?

Yong-dae Lee: Basically, everyone in our company is very interested in design, fashion, and cultural arts. Woo-ju Won: There’s also beer. Everyone loves the comfortable mood that comes with drinking beer. Dong-in Yeo: RESPACE has a monthly 'Culture Day.' We try to share each other’s tastes then. One person presents what they want to do, and everyone follows. This creates a sense of being one team. We’ve visited exhibitions, watched movies and plays, and even did personality tests. Whatever a member suggests, we follow it unconditionally.

You’ve opened small salon-style events at 'Ballworkbeer.'

Woo-ju Won: One of our recent projects was 'One Table Day.' Since our chairs have wheels, we lined up individual tables to create one long table like the 'Last Supper.' Then we just let strangers sit next to each other and talk. We put ice-breaking conversation topics in a business card box. People were awkward at first, but after a beer or two, the atmosphere became comfortable, and eventually, people started changing seats and talking even without the staff's intervention. It ended more successfully than expected. Besides that, we are planning various events like offering unlimited beer to artists who share their work in our space, and we will continue to show interesting events here.