목포해양유물전시관 전시의 관계미학적 전환: 백제 차문화의 감각·관계 기반 복원과 지역 해양서사 재구성

Abstract

This study examines the relational aesthetic transformation of exhibitions at the Mokpo Maritime Heritage Museum, addressing limitations of Korea’s object-centered maritime heritage displays. Although the museum preserves extensive underwater archaeological materials, current exhibitions provide limited opportunities for viewers to engage in interpretive participation or to experience the sensory and relational dimensions inherent in maritime culture. The research is motivated by the need to supplement object-focused exhibition paradigms, to propose methods for reconstructing materially scarce domains such as Baekje tea culture, and to reinterpret tea, Buddhism, and maritime exchange as interconnected regional narratives. The purpose of this study is to analyze the museum’s exhibitions through relational aesthetics and to suggest an exhibition model that restores affective and sensory encounters between viewers, artifacts, and space. Baekje tea culture—despite limited physical remains—is reconstructed through experiential narratives grounded in maritime networks and ritual practices. A qualitative approach was employed. Literature on relational aesthetics, maritime heritage, and Baekje culture was reviewed; fieldwork documented exhibition layout, lighting, spatial flow, and visitor behavior; and analysis applied three concepts—structure of relations, social interstice, and co-existence. Findings indicate: underwater artifacts exhibit multi-layered materiality shaped by environmental and technological factors; visitor behaviors vary substantially, producing differentiated interpretive patterns; spatial discontinuities constrain relational meaning-making; and Baekje tea culture can be recontextualized as a sensory and relational heritage linked to Southern China, Baekje, Southeast Asia, and Japan. Academically, this study reframes maritime heritage exhibitions as participatory cultural platforms. By integrating sensory reconstruction, relational mapping, and participatory labeling, it offers a model for exhibitions that enable co-created meaning and expanded regional maritime narratives.