Kia EV4 Filmmaker Korea | Myök x Dezeen

For the fourth film in Dezeen and the Kia Design Team’s video series, I worked as Director, Director of Photography and Co-Editor. The series explores connections between electric vehicle design and contemporary South Korean architecture. This film features the Kia EV4 at Myök, a contemporary bathhouse in Gyeonggi Province designed by South Korean studio Byarchitecture.

The EV4 marks Kia’s move into lower-profile electric vehicles, with both sedan and hatchback versions joining the brand’s electric line-up. Its design combines a low, streamlined front and extended roofline with a wide stance, vertical headlamps and Kia’s distinctive Star Map lighting. At Myök, these automotive design elements meet a very different type of space. The bathhouse combines Finnish sauna traditions with Korean communal bathing culture. Its compact architecture is organised around bathing areas and a central courtyard.

Myök uses a restrained palette of exposed concrete, stone flooring and hand-finished timber. While concrete and stone create cool, solid surfaces, the timber introduces warmth and texture. At the centre of the bathhouse, a walled courtyard opens parts of the building to the elements. Openings in the timber roof allow wind, rain, sound and filtered daylight to enter. Around it, communal baths, a steam sauna and an open-to-sky shower create a sequence of spaces centred on water and sensory experience.

As Director and Director of Photography, I approached the Kia EV4 and the architecture as parts of the same visual language. Throughout the film, reflections, water, changing daylight and architectural textures create transitions between the sculpted surfaces of the car and the concrete, stone and timber of the bathhouse. The surrounding forest and mountain landscape extend this relationship beyond the building. In addition to the architectural sequences, aerial driving shots place the Kia EV4 within the wider landscape of Gyeonggi Province.

Together, these elements connect automotive filmmaking, contemporary Korean architecture and landscape. The film explores how mobility and architecture can respond to changing ideas around design, sensory experience and quieter modes of living. The film forms part of the ongoing Dezeen x Kia video series. It was produced by Dezeen in collaboration with Korea-based production company Contented for Kia.