Art can be subjective. Its message or meaning sometimes blurred by personal opinion. But we can all agree on one thing - art has the power to change us if we allow it to engage us. It is what elevates us above the beasts. As an aesthetic point, it is the phrase itself that resonates in the mind of the reader. It forms the context and creates the visual meaning.
The Mint Museum and the Harvey Gantt Center recently celebrated the 100 year centennial of Romare Bearden. As a result of this event, his legacy is likely to be broadened in our community and thus, renewed appreciation of his importance as an avant-garde figure in the 20th century art world. My query – is there a way to establish a more significant visual statement of his legacy? The new Romare Bearden Park, on Mint Street in uptown Charlotte, will certainly contribute, as will Kendall Buster’s non-representational sculpture which will be placed in the park.
Bearden’s work is so colorful and visually kinetic. His collages vividly express music, rural life, city life and the social milieu of his time that he was so much a part of.
Imagine a literal or representative piece of his collage work in a towering three-dimensional form. A piece of public sculpture that captures:
A public sculpture that derives its form from his collage elements would be wonderfully understandable, whimsical and easily approachable. I think we could broaden his appeal to the greater community and the art world by creating a relevant contemporary public sculpture, prominently placing him in the pantheon of great twentieth century artists. A Bearden’s Bearden, if you will.
The proposed sculpture should be a happening, so people can look and feel emotionally touched and connected to it. It should also be a surprise. There is no mystery about railroad tracks (my sculpture is constructed of old railroad ties and railroad tracks). Everyone knows what they are. The big reward comes when they are used in an audacious or unpredictable way, that is when I think the magic happens. The concept of this sculpture is a double helix. This came to mind as a suitable reference much like the rungs on a ladder. The ladder, in effect, is used to climb or ascend; therefore, the sculpture suggests the continuous addition of new and changing information that defines the ongoing history of a community.
There are two components to a sculpture, a flat plane or straight track and a twisted plane. The flat plane is linear and suggests the motion of time which is also linear. The twisted track, or non-linear component, suggests the notion of history as it changes over time. Public sculpture should aim to be.
The Arc of Energy is envisioned as a portal to the future. Charlotte is on an upward trajectory. If the age of energy is truly upon us, can we make a statement that transcends dialog and description and creates a lasting image marking this new era for Charlotte much the same way the Eiffel Tower ushered in the dawn of the new age of industrial engineering. And, like the Eiffel Tower, conveyed in three-dimensional form, that there were no limits to man’s ingenuity.
Imagine the following:
Delineating energy at all levels – visual, verbal, functional and operational
Creating a story around energy and how it is transforming Charlotte and the region
Develop a multi-level awareness campaign that is educational and fun; interactive and informative
Brand the concept
Forge a physical manifestation of energy into a three-dimensional form
I believe we can capture the spirit and motion of this exciting time, embodied in a hyper-kinetic portal into the city on S. Tryon Street, named the Arc of Energy. This sculpture would manifest the avant-garde idea of a free form plastic invention utilizing contemporary materials. Reprocessed steel, translucent polypropylene manufactured entirely from recycled material, integral/flexible solar cells applied to the sculpture’s surface, an interior powered entirely by LED’s and linear polyhedrons attached to the surface producing a continuous spectrum of visible color from every viewing angle.
Realizing this concept requires a bit of imagination as it is a rather bold and audacious flight of fantasy. It also requires out-of-the-box thinking, educational components and a larger context of discussion and dialog in order to measure appreciation and understanding of such a project. The idea also requires a kind of trust intrinsic to the democratic process, which presumes that a body of people, our community, are fundamentally good willed and that goodwill can see beyond the long and short term goals and lead to a true expression and level of enthusiasm and energy that builds on consensus. As John Ruskin so aptly surmised, “Art, and with art, imagination, establishes the true potential of civilized man.”
“A tapestry of wind chimes”
This project was submitted as a respectful alternative to the traditional monument. Rather than proposing an edifice, it instead suggested a place of engagement.
Six hundred wind chimes representing the honorable veterans hung in an arbitrary order, varying in length and diameter between pylons, each with a pivoting bronze seal of the armed forces. The chimes released a harmonious chord with the slightest movement by the wind. Collectively, as the wind velocity increased, they would create an infinite variety of sounds, ringing and echoing in a random musical accord.
When in symphonic unison, the six hundred chimes would ring with the voice and spirit of the six hundred dedicated veterans whose service transcended each individually while collectively creating a distinctive, melodious rhythm for all these dedicated veterans, past, present and future.
Project Statement
The project site was unremarkable. It paralleled a busy street and sat at the tangent of a parking lot. Yet, it possessed an unconventional challenge. Can an unassuming place become remarkable and perhaps more fittingly, for its intended use, truly memorable?
I viewed this space as a kind of garden; just as the gardener arranges elements which already exist – trees, flowers and stones – I attempted to arrange familiar elements into a new and fitting monument. A good place, like a well made garden, feels familiar and fresh. If the plan is well made with attention to each individual element creating a whole which surrounds us, it can become a special world for us to enter.
The location is a very public realm. For one thing, the surrounding environment offers endless unpredictable distractions for the audience and the visitor. I wanted to make a secure and private place, where you could quietly contemplate the message, but could also listen to the way the wind stirs and dances with the chimes.
I imagined this monument to be a permanent occurrence in the landscape, of another order and distinction. I want one to notice first the sense of focus that the space creates. The wall of chimes and the placement of benches and the stage, created a sense of enclosure, though not a sense of limitation. The meditative quality of the space would be immediately apparent and, as in all meditations, there was the potential for immensity and feeling to open up inside this intimacy.
Everything in this garden revolveed around a sense of enclosure and with a stage placed at its center where it was always ready to receive the text of the speaker.
But though the stage seems to be in the middle of things, it is, in fact, not quite in the center. What is right at the heart of the entire space is the chime wall. To the viewer, this central feature along with the armed forces seals (which would also be mounted on the pylons and would also rotate slowly with the wind) could create an extraordinary personal affect.
There are functional and pragmatic aspects to this monument as well. It seemed perceptively intimate; but, in fact, it comfortably holds many people. The audience is free to enjoy sky and sun and clouds and birds and trees and the movement of the wind chimes, and yet, there is no quality of distraction which deprives us of a deep attention. We are free in this space both to attend and to drift away in reverie, to be reminded of the sacrifice and glory of our heroes alive and deceased. I think, why we are there is to be present with and commemorate and honor the veterans who served honorably in the defense of our freedoms. The Cornelius Memorial was intended to heighten that sense of presence. It would be a space designed to honor and serve our country and the community.
Public Participation
Sales of sponsorship
In lieu of the sale of monument benches, this concept proposed that individual wind chimes be sold. These chimes would carry a special and personal meaning to each participant. Chimes could be customized or engraved with the serviceperson’s name. They could be made from a variety of materials, including copper, brass, aluminum and steel.
These chimes could potentially be substituted for the names and dates of service for the six hundred veterans, whose recognition initially was suggested for placement on the granite pavers in the design scheme.