cv | works | sculptures | site specific | environmental | land art | architectural | publications | exhibitions | symposia/lectures | cities | encounters | accounts
ROUNDABOUT SPECIFIC SCULPTURE
A roundabout is one of the few places where anything placed on it can normally be viewed only from predetermined viewpoints. Another limitation is the short time slot allotted to experience the situation. These apparent constraints limit the possibilities we have; at the same time they can, and should, be used to our advantage. The void within a roundabout is usually filled with something natural or is often used to exhibit a sculpture. Art, however, is generally meant to be observed for a period of time and preferably processed or even assimilated — at least as far as the artist is concerned.
Art on a roundabout has specific possibilities which differ from
those in other situations or settings. The observer does not choose to
stop; the encounter is unavoidable yet brief. Art made specifically for
the road environment should therefore not be too demanding, whereas in
other situations it can be as complex as necessary or may even requireor
at least invite touching it. To the contrary a work on a roundabout is
approached from one direction and perceived while moving around it, the
views continuously evolving as part of a predetermined pattern imposed
by traffic movement.
This movement animates the sculpture. The
work unfolds in time rather than through a single spatial experience
alone. Depending on the country, this sequence may develop clockwise or
counter-clockwise, a condition that becomes significant when direction
or progression forms part of the artistic concept. The spatial quality
of three-dimensional art alone is, in the case of a roundabout, not
sufficient in itself. There is much more to utilize than regarding a
roundabout merely as a place to locate art.
A roundabout should
therefore not be understood simply as a pedestal in traffic space, but
as a dynamic viewing system in which speed, sequence and memory become
part of the work itself. The projects shown here include sculptures
developed specifically for roundabout situations, as well as an earlier
work later incorporated into such an environment, illustrating another
common approach to the use of art in traffic space.
3D anaglyph photographs of my sculpture
works©author: Lucien den Arend
© 1998/present denarend.com
Google
this site was developed by
DutchDeltaDesign
Penttilä
Seppäläntie 860 51200 Kangasniemi Finland
telephone +358 (0)44 264 12 12
