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Loughborough artists sculpture unveiled in Beijingss Olympic Park
Posted on 28/12/08
Loughborough artists sculpture unveiled in Beijings Olympic Park
A sculpture by Loughborough artist John Atkin has been unveiled in Beijing as part of the celebrations for the forthcoming Olympic Games.
Johns sculpture is one of 25 artworks that were commissioned by the Beijing Municipal Government to form a major public exhibition in Olympic Park the heart of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
John was the only British artist to be selected from a worldwide field of 2,600 applicants to create a sculpture that reflects the 2008 Olympic theme of One World, One Dream. His artwork has been inspired by the Wilfred Owen poem Strange Meeting, which recounts a dramatic encounter, perhaps in a dream, between a soldier and the enemy he had killed the day before; the soldiers, who had fought on opposing sides, are no longer enemies and find it possible to see beyond conflict and hatred in a shared awareness of the truth untold.
Carved from granite and marble, Johns sculpture consists of two identical shapes, echoing the human figure and derived from garment templates. One form is positioned upright, the other lying down. The space between the two sections frames views of the surrounding spaces and architectural achievements bordering Olympic Park.
The artwork which measures 3.5 metres in height, width and depth and weighs 27 tons was brought to reality in a stone yard in China.
The experience of the voluminous yard was truly breathtaking in terms of scale and atmosphere, and there was a constant aura of work generated by footfall activity, dust and the noise of factory machinery, explains John, who is a Reader in Fine Art in the Universitys School of Art and Design. Mr Chen, the stone yard owner, helped me to locate the right scale of stone for the project, which turned out to be a beautifully veined, flesh-like marble that had qualities evocative of the human presence.
John continues: The Chinese work force was wonderfully organised and diligent in their interpretation of my directions. There were numerous exchanges, either via translator or through sketches, to direct the development of the artwork but often hands-on methods were the best way to direct progress. Working with the Chinese on this project proved to be a stimulating period for me personally, as I had never worked in stone before and had certainly never been able to orchestrate such a massive project.
In the end my sculpture won an Outstanding Award. Im grateful to all those involved in the realisation of this project, which from start to finish took two years! The artwork is now sited across the road from the main National Birds Nest Stadium and close to the National Aquatics Centre.
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