On the occasion of the arrival of the Chinese Year of the Dragon, the 3rd "Wanli Sightseeing" Light Art Season, which was recently opened in Wanli Park, invited artists and local residents to "co-create" works with the theme of the Year of the Dragon, so that the art of beauty can truly enter the community and life.
This year's lighting art season brings 11 groups of works, including "Dancing Universe", "Soaring", "Starry Sky" and "Scenery in the Heart", which not only have the lighting installation of Wanli Park Pavilion, which has become a highlight of Wanli, but also extend to the blocks along Dachangpu, focusing on community culture, residents' life and geomorphological environment to explain the relationship between nature and city, community and aesthetics.
Among them, "Scenery in the Heart" has created a rare and valuable artistic co-creation experience. This work invites artist Lu Wenqing to give a workshop to the public, imagining the humanity and nature of Wanli, and integrating the blessing of the Year of the Dragon into his creation. 61creative studio uses ready-made products, second-hand toys and dynamic lighting to build "Dancing Universe" with the theme of nature and environmental protection. Artist Li Xuan uses special environmentally friendly materials to cut into a lifelike "plant dragon" hovering in the forest by the river.
Green "Golden Song" brings a cheerful and brilliant picture of a hundred birds among thousands of miles of green trees. The dynamic installation "Take-off" designed by young artist Li Yanlong is looking forward to the public to interact and check in. One of the co-created works of the 2023 China Shanghai International Arts Festival, "Home", has also landed in the community.
Professor Liu Yi, director of the Shanghai Creative Design Workers Association and public art curator, served as the curator of the three "Ten Thousand Miles Sightseeing" lighting art season. He concludes that community public art is art that "grows" in the community, not directly moving the works of the artist's studio to the site, but "growing" with the community before creation. To prepare and plan the light festival, he and his team carried out local research and workshops in the Wanli Collaborative Innovation Studio, and made more public co-creation a work path.
In his view, public co-creation and aesthetic education activities are ways for public art to stimulate public creativity, and also reflect the "locality" of public art. Community public art is not just a visual work, but the whole process of planning and execution, which is a kind of "bond" that softly intervenes in the community and connects the community and the public.
Public art is pan-media, and all art and design disciplines can be used by public art. "The point of art is not to create something to look at, but to create an opportunity for the viewer to look back at the world from a renovated perspective and with a clear vision. Liu Yi quoted art critic Patricia Philippe as saying, "In the community public art work, soft activities are implanted to co-create with the community public, and the community space is used as a 'wallless art museum' for art practice, and interactive communication and co-creation are used to establish an interactive bond with the public." We will continue to research and practice, so that art can be co-created, shared, resonated and symbiotic in the community!”
This year's lighting art season is hosted by Wanli Street, Putuo District, Shanghai, planned and implemented by 61creative, and supported by the Municipal Creative Design Workers Association, and will last until February 24, 2024.
Author: Fan Xin.
Text: Fan Xintu: Lighting Season On-site Editor: Xu Yang Responsible Editor: Li Ting.
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