Interview about Soar Sculpture Installation, winner of the A' Fine Arts and Art Installation Design Award 2023
A garden is a mysterious place that heals the human spirit. This sculpture attempts to capture the sensory experience of the journey into the garden, presenting the bird's instantaneous soaring in the air, the sense of speed in flight, and a constantly changing state to evoke the symbol of freedom in the human soul. This sculpture attempts to capture the sensory experience of the garden.
View detailed images, specifications, and award details on A' Design Award & Competition website.
View Design DetailsAchieving the floating lightness in Soar was an intricate process that demanded a balance between artistic ambition and engineering precision. A major challenge was designing the sculpture to convey motion and levity visually, while ensuring its structural stability. The unique form, with its deliberately shifted center of gravity, required extensive experimentation with structural mechanics. The internal stainless steel framework was meticulously engineered to distribute weight evenly, while supporting the forged outer layers. Each curve and angle was refined to sustain a sense of dynamic flow, evoking the graceful movement of a bird in flight. Lightweight materials and precision welding techniques were crucial to minimizing bulk and maintaining stability, all while achieving the sculpture’s ethereal and fluid aesthetic.
The mirror-polished surface was inspired by the transformative nature of freedom and the interplay between self and environment. By reflecting the sky and surroundings, the sculpture becomes a seamless part of its environment, continuously evolving with changes in light, weather, and time of day. This reflective quality symbolizes the fluidity of the human spirit, evoking a profound sense of connection. It also invites viewers to see themselves and their environment within the artwork, fostering a deeply personal interaction. This reflection serves as a metaphor for spiritual healing—a reminder that freedom and inner peace originate from within but are influenced by external forces. The surface’s ability to capture and transform light enhances the sculpture’s uplifting quality, reinforcing its themes of transcendence and harmony.
Wind load considerations were pivotal in shaping Soar’s design, as the open and airy form had to withstand significant environmental forces. The minimal support point posed a unique challenge, requiring optimal stress distribution across the sculpture. Research into structural mechanics and wind resistance informed the precise curvature and angles of the design, ensuring the sculpture could endure external pressures without compromising its visual lightness. The internal grid structure provides stability, while the smooth, external curves efficiently channel airflow to reduce wind resistance. These insights allowed for a harmonious balance between aesthetic appeal and structural resilience, capturing both the physical dynamics of flight and the metaphorical balance of freedom.
The evolution of Soar was a journey of refinement and adaptation. The original prototype exhibited in 2016, served as a conceptual exploration of flight’s essence on a smaller scale. Scaling up to 1280mm introduced challenges in preserving the visual delicacy of the design while addressing structural demands. The larger scale necessitated a rethinking of proportions, ensuring that the curves retained their elegance without appearing heavy. Additionally, the amplified size enhanced the sculpture’s reflective interactions with its environment, making the mirrored surface more impactful. This transition deepened my understanding of how scale affects perception—what feels intimate at a smaller size becomes monumental and immersive when expanded. The process reinforced the need to balance artistic vision with technical feasibility, ultimately elevating the sculpture’s emotional resonance.
Soar was designed to offer a dynamic visual and emotional experience, mirroring the fluidity of flight and the serenity of a garden. From different angles, the sculpture reveals new forms and interpretations. Head-on, its sweeping curves evoke momentum and energy, while a side view emphasizes grace and equilibrium. The mirrored surface amplifies this variability, reflecting unique fragments of the environment and creating an interplay of light and shadow that shifts throughout the day. This evolving perspective invites active engagement, allowing viewers to discover new meanings and sensations each time. The emotional depth is further enriched by the symbolism of the Garden of Eden, offering a universal narrative of healing and freedom while inviting personal connections to the sculpture.
The shifted center of gravity in Soar was essential to its design, reinforcing the visual metaphor of a bird in mid-flight. Achieving this required precise calculations and iterative testing. The internal grid structure was meticulously engineered to counterbalance the sculpture’s asymmetry, ensuring stability despite its dynamic, off-center form. Collaborating closely with metal craftsmen, we fine-tuned the weight distribution to align perfectly with the support point. This process involved continuous adjustments and physical modeling to refine the equilibrium between strength and elegance. The result is a sculpture that not only captures the motion of soaring but also demonstrates the seamless integration of artistic freedom and structural ingenuity.
Winning the A' Design Award for Soar has been a profound affirmation of my artistic vision, inspiring me to further explore the intersection of nature and contemporary sculpture. It underscores the importance of creating works that resonate with universal themes like freedom, transformation, and harmony. Looking ahead, I plan to deepen my exploration of dynamic forms and reflective surfaces, incorporating new materials and technologies to expand the possibilities of public art. This recognition also encourages collaboration with communities and institutions to create site-specific installations that engage audiences on both personal and collective levels. Ultimately, it motivates me to craft sculptures that evoke emotion while addressing broader environmental and philosophical narratives.
The internal grid-shaped skeleton serves as the unseen backbone of Soar, enabling its daring form while maintaining stability. Structurally, the grid distributes weight evenly and provides a secure foundation for the forged stainless steel surface. This framework also complements the sculpture’s artistic expression, symbolizing the interplay between freedom and restraint. Just as a bird’s flight is guided by unseen forces like wind and gravity, the internal grid represents the structural underpinnings that allow freedom to flourish. The precision of this framework ensures that the sculpture maintains its shifted center of gravity and minimal support point, reinforcing the contrast between its solid construction and the ethereal lightness it conveys.
Soar acts as a bridge between personal introspection and communal experience, embodying the concept of a "healing soul Garden of Eden." By reflecting its surroundings and inviting exploration from multiple angles, the sculpture fosters a sense of unity between individuals and their environment. The mirrored surface encourages self-reflection, allowing viewers to see themselves within the artwork, while the dynamic form evokes the universal yearning for freedom and transcendence. In public spaces, the sculpture transforms its setting into a place for quiet contemplation and shared wonder, connecting personal spirituality with the collective human experience.
Fabricating Soar required overcoming significant challenges to achieve its lightweight yet structurally sound design. The split forging process demanded exceptional precision to shape the stainless steel plates into smooth, curved forms without compromising strength. Welding these sections seamlessly was equally complex, as even minor imperfections could disrupt the sculpture’s visual continuity and structural integrity. Collaborating closely with skilled craftsmen, we developed innovative techniques to address these demands while maintaining the sculpture’s elegance. These challenges reaffirmed my dedication to pushing the boundaries of metal sculpture, shaping my artistic decisions to prioritize both beauty and resilience in the final work.
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