Photography: courtesy Slow Pharmacy
28 / 03 / 2022
Established in the regenerated Seongsu-dong district of South Korea, Gurum Lee and Woosung Jung invite us to reflect on the transformational power of plants in our daily lives.
Shunning the idea of traditional florists, they have made the sale of tillandsias, monstreras or prickly pears the springboard for the development of exhibitions, styling and site-specific installations, collaborating with names such as Cartier, Nike and Massimo Dutti. Seven years after the creation of Slow Pharmacy, its adorable plant containers are still the Korean brand’s bestseller.
Inês Graça: Do you remember how your passion for Nature came about? Gurum Lee: When I was young, I used to spend a lot of time among Nature with my parents, by the sea or in the mountains. I remember observing the plants, the fruits like berries, beans, seeds; I rarely went to amusement parks. I feel that Nature has always been with me, it was a natural evolution. My mother has been running a flower business for 30 years and often says that it is a difficult, but very rewarding job. The fact that she feels truly happy when she looks at the flowers started to be mirrored in my way of life. I graduated in graphic arts in Japan and then worked as a commercial designer for four years. Upon returning to Korea, I took a break, travelled to South Africa, and later went back to working with design in Jakarta. When I look back on those days, I realise I was seeing the world through a monitor screen and not with my own eyes. I feel healed by plants and wanted to share that feeling with everyone. We would like to promote a calmer and more mindful lifestyle.
You have recently moved into this warehouse in Seongsudong. What can we find inside it? Lots of plants, however we felt unable to limit ourselves to selling only plants. We have just opened a new conceptual installation in our showroom with the theme “Ark”. The story is based on the assumption that indiscriminate economic development will contaminate planet Earth and therefore we will have to move Nature into an “ark” in a bid to save it. It is a project that brings us enormous happiness.
Inês Graça: Do you remember how your passion for Nature came about? Gurum Lee: When I was young, I used to spend a lot of time among Nature with my parents, by the sea or in the mountains. I remember observing the plants, the fruits like berries, beans, seeds; I rarely went to amusement parks. I feel that Nature has always been with me, it was a natural evolution. My mother has been running a flower business for 30 years and often says that it is a difficult, but very rewarding job. The fact that she feels truly happy when she looks at the flowers started to be mirrored in my way of life. I graduated in graphic arts in Japan and then worked as a commercial designer for four years. Upon returning to Korea, I took a break, travelled to South Africa, and later went back to working with design in Jakarta. When I look back on those days, I realise I was seeing the world through a monitor screen and not with my own eyes. I feel healed by plants and wanted to share that feeling with everyone. We would like to promote a calmer and more mindful lifestyle.
You have recently moved into this warehouse in Seongsudong. What can we find inside it? Lots of plants, however we felt unable to limit ourselves to selling only plants. We have just opened a new conceptual installation in our showroom with the theme “Ark”. The story is based on the assumption that indiscriminate economic development will contaminate planet Earth and therefore we will have to move Nature into an “ark” in a bid to save it. It is a project that brings us enormous happiness.
Do you have a preference for any particular species? We love working with moss. It is always quietly planted everywhere and it’s so beautiful. It allows us to create a small forest in an unexpected place and, despite being such a small element, we can feel Nature deeply in it.
For more information, visit Slow Pharmacy website.
