과거를 회상하며...플로리다 공원 위에 떠 있는 73m 높이의 그물 조형물 Billowing 242-Foot Net Floats Above a Florida Park in Remembrance of the Past

Billowing 242-Foot Net Floats Above a Florida Park in Remembrance of the Past

By Jessica Stewart on August 2, 2020

 

Artist Janet Echelman is known for her extraordinary installations, and her latest work in St. Petersburg, Florida is no exception. Bending Arc is a billowing aerial sculpture composed of 1,662,528 knots and 180 miles of twine. Spanning 242 feet and measuring 72 tall at its highest point, the permanent installation is a focal point of the city’s new Pier Park.

Photo: Brian Adams

과거를  회상하며...플로리다 공원 위에 떠 있는 73m 높이의 그물 조형물    예술가 자넷 에첼만은 그녀의 특별한 설치와 성에서의 최근 작품으로 유명하다. 플로리다 주 페테르부르크도 예외가 아니다. 벤딩 아크(Bending Arc)는 73m에 이르는 이 영구 조형물은 이 도시의 새로운 피어 파크의 상징물이 됐다. 조형물이 바람에 춤을 추면서 공원 곳곳에 모양과 그림자를 드리우고 관람객을 끌어안는다. 그리고 밤에는 마젠타와 보랏빛 빛에 의해 빛나는데, 이것은 그것을 훨씬 더 마법적인 것으로 변형시킨다. 탬파베이 해안가에서 근처에서 자란 에첼만은 처음에 역사 엽서에서 본 파랗고 하얀 비치 파라솔에 영감을 받았다. 부두 아래쪽에 자라는 바나클의 기하학적 모양도 그녀의 사상을 형상화했다. 그러나 그녀가 더 깊이 파고들면서, 에첼만은 그녀의 작품에 새로운 의미를 발견하게 되었다. 그 프로젝트의 장소가 민권 운동의 중요한 장소라는 것을 발견했다. 1954년 대법원이 분리독립을 위헌으로 판결한 획기적인 사건인 브라운 대 교육원 사건 이후에도 시민들이 평화롭게 모여 시립 수영장을 분리하는 시 정책에 항의한 곳이 바로 그곳이었다. 1955년, 공공 수영장에 대한 접근이 거부된 후, 프레드 알섭 박사와 다른 다섯 명의 흑인 커뮤니티 회원들은 도시를 고소했다. 1957년 대법원이 시의 항소를 기각할 때까지 싸움이 계속되었음에도 불구하고 그들은 승소했다. 황기철 콘페이퍼 에디터 Ki Chul Hwang Conpaper editor curator

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As the sculpture dances in the wind, it casts shapes and shadows across the park, embracing its visitors. And at night, it’s lit by magenta and violet light, which transforms it into something even more magical. Echelman, who was raised nearby on the shores of Tampa Bay, was initially inspired by the blue and white beach parasols she saw on historical postcards. The geometric shapes of barnacles growing on the underside of the pier also shaped her ideas.

But as she dug in further, Echelman found a new significance to her work. She discovered that the location for the project was an important site in the Civil Rights Movement. It was there that citizens peacefully gathered to protest against the city’s policy of keeping municipal pools segregated, even after the landmark 1954 case Brown v. Board of Education, in which the Supreme Court ruled that segregation was unconstitutional. In 1955, after being denied access to the public pool, Dr. Fred Alsup and five other black community members sued the city. They won their case, even though the fight continued until 1957 when the Supreme Court declined to hear the city’s appeal.

Aerial View of Janet Echelman's Bending Arc in St. Petersburg

Photo: Brian Adams

Upon learning of this historical significance, Echelman decided to name the work Bending Arc. The phrase comes from a 1968 quote by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” While the march toward racial equality still continues today, Echelman can take heart in the fact that families of all races will be able to freely enjoy her work.

The massive undertaking of bringing Bending Arc to life was made possible thanks to a collaboration between the private and public sectors. The sculpture was funded entirely by private donors, while the sculpture’s infrastructure was part of the new Pier District project. Thanks to the partnership, the public will be able to enjoy the piece for years to come.

Echelman’s lightweight sculpture is built to last. The rope is made from fiber used by NASA to tether the Mars Rover, so there’s no risk of breakage; it is able to withstand winds of up to 150 miles per hour. (In fact, the rope is 15 times stronger than steel.) And so now it floats gently above the new park, creating a focal point for citizens to gather and remember the history of their city. In doing so, they can look back and learn in order to do better in the future.

Bending Arc is a new permanent installation in St. Petersburg by renowned artist Janet Echelman.

Photo: Visit St. Pete-Clearwater

The 242-foot long floating net is made from 1,662,528 knots and 180 miles of twine.

Photo: Brian Adams

Echelman named the piece after a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. after discovering that the site was home to peaceful Civil Rights protests in the 1950s.

Photo: Brian Adams

To enhance the drama, at night the installation is lit in magenta and violet.

Photo: Amy Martz

Photo: City of St. Petersburg 

Photo: Brian Adams

Janet Echelman: Website | Facebook | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Janet Echelman.

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