Tamas Szvet: CONNECTED (2020) public sculpture, iron
(Rebar), 2.5 x 4.5 x 2.7 m
Hsinchu Art Site of Railway Warehouse Hsinchu City, TAIWAN
“Were it not for shadows, there would be no beauty.” Junichiro Tanizaki
The public sculpture created for the LINE-UP Art Festival, curated by Yu-Hsuan Lee, 育萱, at the Hsinchu Art Site of Railway Warehouse.The project is led by Accton Arts Gallery and Foundation in cooperation with the Cultural Bureau of Hsinchu City.
Walking around Hsinchu City, I discovered metal decorations on windows and balconies. These ornaments seem to foster different cultural connotations, and their linear motif and function, together with the surrounding environment, bring about a certain kind of harmony. The design brought by migrations and occupations and are encrypted with ancient knowledge, religious symbols, and patterns of indigenous tribes. The geometric shapes are also connected to natural elements and the search for balance. I incorporated these patterns into my work as a sign of a relationship with the neighborhood. The sculpture aims to become a meeting point, to generate cultural awareness of Hsinchu City, and celebrate its rich culture.
The sculpture acts as a shadow maker. It is like an entrance of a pavilion, welcoming people with its open walls while the roof is casting a shadow into the pavement. The projection of the iron, made by the sunlight, appears and disappears, constantly changing during the day.
As the window fences are made out of iron, the sculpture uses an industrial metal, Rebar. The beauty of the metal wire lays in its graphical appearance. Being a heavy material, it is interesting that it makes the sculpture look light. Rebar is used for reinforcing buildings, and man-made environments. It is all around us, but invisible. It holds the city together while it is hidden. I found this invisible supporting force as a positive symbol.
The sculpture is painted red, a colour representing protection and connection in Asian culture. There is an idea that a red tread exists between people, symbolizing their relationship. While the metal fence's function is protection, it also separates one from another. However, when people start to reshape the lines of the fence, they become a messenger to project ideas and beliefs. It might have been started as creative craft making, but the result is that separated individuals are finding their freedom between the forces, thus showing their connectedness.
The Hsinchu
art site of railway warehouse used to be the cargo warehouse for Hsinchu
Railway Station. Starting from 2018, the Arts Foundation has invited artists
from abroad and introduced them to local communities. In the summer of 2020, my
public artworks were created as part of the LINE-UP PROJECT, with the
aim to use art and design as a means to make people more aware of the area
between the Hsinchu Art Site of Railway Warehouse and Hsinchu Railway
Station.
藝術家｜Tamas Szvet 匈牙利
媒材｜裝置 竹節鋼筋
行走在藝術村和火車站之間的巷道時，經常可以發現許多不一樣的鐵窗窗花。這些窗花的樣貌似乎乘載著不同文化意涵，而窗花的幾合線性架構，更和周遭環境及鐵窗功能上取得一種和諧。
Tamas 希望透過結合花窗圖案的裝置，和周邊鄰里建立關係，讓裝置變成一個「聚會點meeting point」，各家各戶都願意來到這裡聚會、交流。
Quote: TANIZAKI, Junichiro: In Praise of Shadows / 陰翳礼讃1933
Photographs: FIXER photographic studio; Tamas Szvet
LINE-UP Project: https://www.railtohsinchu.com/
Hsinchu Art Site Of Railway Warehouse 新竹鐵道藝術: https://www.arttime.com.tw/
