Installation forms bridge between East and West<\/p>\n
Rita A. Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar<\/p>\n
A huge structure built out of bamboo poles shaping like a
\nzeppelin airship greets anyone passing the Gaya Fusions of Senses
\nGallery in Payangan area in Ubud, some 20 kilometers north of
\nDenpasar.<\/p>\n
The installation, titled Skyplace, is a remarkable creation of
\nthe famous German artist Markus Heinsdorffs.<\/p>\n
The 27-meter-long bamboo zeppelin hovers over a 10-meter by
\n20-meter pool of water, clearly reflected in the water's mirror-
\nlike surface. The bamboo installation can neither move nor fly
\nbut for the artist, it is a monument to possibility -- the
\npossibility of a noiseless airship navigating the skies in
\nharmony with the nature, of bridging great distances, and
\ncreating aesthetic connections between Asian and European
\ncultures.<\/p>\n
Constructed in the shape of a zeppelin -- inspired by Graf
\nZeppelins' blimp in the l930s, the airship was erected in this
\nUbud village by local craftsmen using traditional building
\ntechniques and environmentally friendly materials.<\/p>\n
\"I wanted to create a sculpture and an architectural space
\nwhich is open, transparent and works with nature and humans.
\nPeople can walk inside and feel themselves within nature and
\nhuman life,\" Markus said of his creation.<\/p>\n
The form of installation is an airship -- the mode by which he
\ncan come to Bali, by air or sea, flying or sailing -- thus giving
\n\"airship\" a double meaning. \"I hope that when people walk inside
\nthe airship, the form will suddenly change for them completely\".<\/p>\n
The artist wants people to stand inside on a long gangway with
\nthe sky and landscape with the construction around them creating
\none special space, reflected in the water and giving the double
\nfeelings, outside and inside.<\/p>\n
Alexander Boldizar, the gallery's manager, shared his
\nfeelings, finding Markus' structure fits comfortably with the
\ngallery's philosophy. \"Our main intention is to create an open,
\nwelcoming space for artistic inspiration of all kinds, a fusion
\nof the senses, thoughts and aesthetics\".<\/p>\n
The zeppelin form was created when man still wanted to fly
\nmore for the dream of flying rather than to get somewhere. \"And
\nseeing one's reflection in the water of Bali, flying in an
\nidealistic bamboo construction, will reflect not only on Bali and
\nyour own country but also on one's own journey through life,\"
\nBoldizar said.<\/p>\n
Only a few Western artists have the idea to use bamboo as
\nmajor material for their artistic creations.<\/p>\n
\"My work in the West was always with metal, but now I want to
\nchange it, I hope to make my next installation in Asia again --
\nnew forms, new installations, but using bamboo. Only bamboo gives
\nthis feeling of flight and lightness,\" said Markus.<\/p>\n
Bamboo is one of the famous materials. \"It is Eastern and we
\nare now in the East.\" And more, it is a connection between nature
\nand art. \"The sky ship in this form can only be built with
\nbamboo; No other material gives this aesthetics,\" Markus said.<\/p>\n
Born in Steinkirchen in Bavaria, Germany in l954, Markus
\nreceived training as a stonemason and goldsmith in l974. Two
\nyears later, famous artist Robert Jacobson trained him as a
\nsculptor. In l977, he entered the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich.
\nAfter graduation, he worked as a goldsmith before he became the
\ndirector of the school for modern designs in Villa Pacieri in
\nRome, Italy in l989.<\/p>\n
He made extensive solo exhibitions around the world from
\nGermany to New York, Italy, France, China and many other
\ncountries including Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Many of his installation works made of diverse materials are
\nnow exhibited permanently in various public spaces in Europe.
\nMarkus garnered numerous art awards worldwide.<\/p>\n
\"But, for me working with bamboo is very fascinating\".<\/p>\n
Bamboo is the oldest and most environmentally friendly
\nbuilding materials known to humans, and one of the fastest
\ngrowing plants with one of the longest fibers. Classified as a
\nspecies of grass, it can reach a diameter of 10cm to 14cm and in
\ntended forests up to 30cm. The aesthetic and functional aspects
\nof bamboo make it the material for the future.<\/p>\n
Some Western artists and scientists like engineer Otto Frei
\nused a picture of a Torajan (an ethnic group in South Sulawesi)
\nbamboo bridge on the cover of his book as the epitome of elegant
\narchitecture possible within our given laws and physics.<\/p>\n
Though used in sophisticated designs by the intuitive Torajan
\nengineering intelligence for a thousand years, bamboo has only
\nrecently been \"rediscovered\" in contemporary arts and
\narchitectures.<\/p>\n
Twenty years ago, the building master Buckminster Fuller
\nconstructed a large bamboo dome in Bali, giving a new breath to
\nbamboo as a building material of the future, as well as of the
\npast. Columbian architect Simon Velez, constructed a bamboo
\npavilion at the 2000 Expo in Hanover and the Italian star
\narchitect Renzo Piano displayed various experiments of newly
\ndevised connecting techniques in his Berlin exhibition.<\/p>\n
Despite his extensive traveling, the artist felt that arriving
\nin Bali was a new experiment.<\/p>\n
\"Bali has given me a lot of new inspiration, and this
\ninspiration I want to bring into this sculpture and these
\npaintings, it starts with the possibilities and the material,
\nworking together.\"<\/p>\n
It is new for him to blend traditional skills this way with
\nWestern architectural concepts, to prepare and work with the
\nmaterial in ways that is possible only here in the East.<\/p>\n
\"The architecture and the religion and the way to live which
\nIndonesian people understand so well, these are all inspirations
\nfor me and also for many other foreign artists who come to Bali.\"<\/p>\n
Every work is a new experiment for the artist.<\/p>\n
\"The bamboo installation Skyplace is built here and for me
\nit's always only when the work is finished that I can say yes, if
\nit works or not. \"For him, this installation works wonderfully
\nwith this space. It has changed the area and the view of the
\narena for the time it is standing here.\"<\/p>\n
\"I want to invite people to look at this work,\" he said. \"It
\nbecomes very interesting when people connect with the art work
\nand the space and they are changed by it. Maybe they start also
\nto create forms, which give yet others inspirations to make art
\nand architecture for living together\".<\/p>\n
In the spring of 2003, this zeppelin installation will sail to
\nItaly, where it will be reassembled in the city of Modena,
\nclosing one cycle of cultural exchange between East and West.<\/p>\n
i-box<\/p>\n
The exhibition runs until Oct. 20 at Gaya Fusions of Senses
\nGallery, Jl.Raya Sayan, Ubud. Tel: (0361) 979252.<\/p>",
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