Blessing from the Sea 설치 미술

Press Kit

Unique Properties

Where the wind and the sea meet, a church rises from the sea.
Here, we can hear the wave and see the wind. When the wind is calm, the church is quiet, tranquil and peaceful. When the win roars, the fabrics strips dance wildly, flying madly, the church shows the dynamic of the wind.

Dimensions & Packaging

Width 490 cm x Length 1000 cm x Hight 800 cm.
The base of the project was made with metal panel. The center was cut out to keep the project to move slight with the tide.

Tags

art, installation, wind, nature, taiwan

Production Technology

There three kinds of element were used in this project: metal structure, metal panel, and fabric strips.
8 spotlights were used to light up the project at night.

Design Challenge

The first challenge is related with the folklore. Many people would associate white tents with funeral hall, which is an ominous symbol. To avoid this impression, the structure is shape like a church. Church represents an image of faith, love and happiness. Coincidentally a couple took wedding photos in front of the artwork when it was just built. The beautiful wedding photos were posted on social media, everyone sees the couple were happy and be blessed in front of the artwork. Since then, no one questioned about impression of the artwork.
The second challenge is the environment. The artwork is set up between the beach and the sea. Water and sand come and go with tide, the base of the artwork moves a bit with it. The artwork has to stand on the sand firmly, not to be washed away by sea and not to be buried in the sand. And, most important, not to be blow away by the powerful chinook. Not only the structure has been strengthened, also the base of the artwork is precision calculated.
The fabric of stripes has to be chosen carefully. Different weight and length will make different effect. The strips have to fly with the wind but also have to withstand the power of chinook. They need to look like dancing elegantly in the wind but not messy and disorganized.
During the 3 months exhibition, the artwork never looked the same everyday. Also it was not always stand straight, the fabric strips are not always flying beautifully. But the naturally posture of the artwork attracted thousands of visitors. People feel the power of the wind, see the beauty of nature via the church. They can feel the mood of nature.

Research

Winter is the chinook season in Hengchun Peninsula. The strong and powerful wind and sand make people cannot bear to stay for long time on the beach, resulting in a low season for sightseeing. We hope people would be willing to experience the power of the chinook wind through the artwork, and turn it into a tourist attraction.
Church represents an image of faith and love. People are willing to come close to a church, willing to open their mind in a church.
The church is placed between the beach and the sea, it would be immersed in the sea couple of hours everyday. The wave, the wind, the light of the sun make the artwork alive. It seems the church has its own mood. Every day, every second, the church never in the same posture.

Inspiration

From October to April of the following year, the powerful chinook wind (Lou Shan Feng) blows down from the mountains in Hengchun Peninsula, Pingtung. This installation art piece《Blessing From The Sea》by Chih-Kang Chu is to reveal the characteristic of Luo Shan Feng.
People can hear the wave and see the wind through the church that standing on the seaside.

Project Duration

The project production started in December 2021 in Pingdong, and finished in 2 weeks. It was exhibited in Luo Shan Feng Art Festival from 25th December 2021 to 1st March 2022.

Operation Flow

Instead of solid wall, white fabric strips are tied up on the church shape structure, the church looks lighter and more welcoming people to walk in. And most important, when the wind blows, the fabric strips will fly with the wind, the posture of the church changes with the wind, it shows the mood of the wind.
The base of the church structure is an iron panel, cut out in the center. The weight of the panel helps the structure to stand in the sand more firmly. However, the wave would bring lots of sand from the sea everyday. The cutting out of the base would help the structure to move up and down with the tide, to avoid to be buried in the beach.

Image Credits

All Images : Photographer / Kuo-Min Lee, Blessing From The Sea, 2021