Spring is finally warming up here in Rocklin, California and the weather is gorgeous! With the weekend so close at hand, I thought I’d write a companion post to a TED Talk about imagination, public art and the beauty that results from the synergy of ideas.
About the speaker: Janet Echelman builds living, breathing sculpture environments that respond to the forces of nature — wind, water and light— and become inviting focal points for civic life.
Exploring the potential of unlikely materials, from fishing net to atomized water particles, Echelman combines ancient craft with cutting-edge technology to create her permanent sculpture at the scale of buildings. Experiential in nature, the result is sculpture that shifts from being an object you look at, to something you can get lost in.
–TED.com
Exploring the potential of unlikely materials, from fishing net to atomized water particles, Echelman combines ancient craft with cutting-edge technology to create her permanent sculpture at the scale of buildings. Experiential in nature, the result is sculpture that shifts from being an object you look at, to something you can get lost in.
–TED.com
Here’s the Talk:
If you don’t have nine minutes to spend, here are some takeaways:
The Value of Synergy and Collaboration
“Fourteen years ago I searched for beauty in the traditional things in craft forms. Now I combine them with high tech materials and engineering to create voluptuous billowing forms the scale of buildings. My artistic horizons continue to grow.”
Echelman’s art is made possible through the design technology of architects, engineers and sail designers. Combining a variety of disciplines with a shared goal, the team was able to create giant sculptures for everyone to enjoy. Additionally, an organic collaborator (the wind) is ever present to change the way that the sculpture moves.
Free Sharing to Reach Untapped Markets
“ An attorney in my friend’s office in Phoenix who had never been interested in art, never visited the local art museum, dragged everyone she could from the building and got them outside to lie down underneath the sculpture. There they were in their business suits lying in the grass, noticing the changing patterns of wind beside people they didn’t know and sharing the rediscovery of wonder.”
Rather than keeping her ideas behind museum or gallery glass, Echelman shared her work with the public for free. Earlier in the talk, she revealed how creating one public art piece lead to the commission of another and that one to another, etc. By putting a moving, changing piece of art in the public sphere, Echelman was able to reach out and connect with untapped markets for her work.
When You’re Stuck, Improvise
Echelman’s entire technique of sculpture never would have been invented had her paints arrived in India in time for her show. Without the art supplies she was used to working with, and with the deadline for creation fast approaching, she used the supplies at hand, improvised, and invented something new, unique and beautiful.
PS. While we muse on this, I’ll leave you with an open ended discussion question: how can we apply these lessons to our daily lives? Feel free to tell a little about yourself in the comments below, or, if this just made you wonder, share this post or click the +1 button below so that others may be invited to wonder along with you.
Image of courtesy of echelman.com.
