Since I have little common sense about foreign cities and their
scenes, I have no idea where the city is when I saw the six pictures on the
website. Just then I noticed that there are some tiny words under picture 3. It
is “Downtown Chicago”! In order to double check the answer, I use the search
engine, and find the same tourist sites that match the six photos offered by
the instructor.
With the powerful Internet, all you need to do is to key in the word
“Chicago Millennium
Park
1. The Crown Fountain
Designed by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa and inspired by the people
of Chicago
2. Cloud Gate
Cloud Gate, a public sculpture designed by Indian-born British
artist Anish Kapoor. Constructed between 2004 and 2006, the sculpture is
nicknamed “The Bean” because of its bean-like shape.
Besides, The Art Institute of Chicago and Chicago
River are also the well-known tourist sites that are worth a visit.
3. The Art Institute of Chicago
The world-famous Art Institute of Chicago (founded in 1879) houses
both a museum and school. The museum contains more than 300000 works of art
while nearly 3000 students studies in the school.
4. Chicago River
To many Chicago residents, the
Chicago River is a body of water dyed green on St. Patrick's Day, or a river
that flows backwards from its original mouth at Lake Michigan, or the cause of
a 1992 flood in the Loop .
Original discussion: http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/e0915951617/article?mid=383&prev=389&next=364&page=1&sc=1#yartcmt
Only by looking at the pictures, The Crown Fountain would be my favorite place compared with other three tourist spots. The humorous Crown Fountain makes me can’t help but to unveil its real appearance by myself. I assume the art collection is just a common wall originally. But, I did some online-searching as well out of great curiosity. The water isn’t coming from the same Chicago citizen’s mouth which really surprises me. Actually, various faces of Chicago citizens will be projected on LED screens and having water flow through a water outlet in the screen. In normal conditions, water that spouts from people’s mouths is regarded as saliva and no one will be willing to be attack by it as long as we are not insane.
ReplyDeleteHowever, this art collection is just like a powerful magician who can attract people’s attention and making people willing to be attacked by saliva. Moreover, people who have suffered from this kind of insult then will be wearing a smile on their faces while leaving. Maybe it is because water that spouts from the screen symbolizes life according to the designer’s idea. I really appreciate the designer’s creativity and it would be extremely wonderful if I could be one of the Chicago citizens whose faces can be shown on the magnificent art collection.
After reading your further introduction of The Crown Fountain, I am amazed by the little secret behind this art collection. When I searched for the pictures of The Crown Fountain, I noticed that there were different people’s faces on the wall. However, what I had thought at that moment was “Maybe there are lots of walls there.” How silly I am! I think that it must be very interesting if I see my own face on the LED screen. It's a pity that we are not the Chicago citizens.
Delete"A fountain is the memory of nature, this marvelous sound of a little river in the mountains translated to the city. For me, a fountain doesn't mean a big jet of water. It means humidity, the origin of life."-Jaume Plensa
According to the quotation of Jaume Plensa’s words, I think that he may be a nature lover. In order to combine the city with nature, he moved the fountain to Chicago in the form of The Crown Fountain.
As far as I am concerned, Cloud Gate is the one that fascinates me most. As implied in the name, it can reflect the city's famous skyline and the clouds above with its mirror-like surface. It just like we put the whole world into this magical bean.
"To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour."-William Blake
The third task arouses my curiosity toward anything related to Public Art; therefore, I would like to share some information with you such as the definition of Public Art and my favorite art collection in Taipei. In theory, the term “Public Art” is equal to any work of art which is designed for and sited in a space accessible to the general public, from a public square to a wall inside a building open to the public. But its definition has been adapted into a more sarcastic way after some government officials interfere with the construction of Public Art building. The sentence below is Public Art’s brand-new definition, “Public Art represents for any work of art purchased with public funds, or which comes into the public domain, irrespective of where it is situated in the community, or who sees it.” My favorite art collection in Chicago is The Crown Fountain; however, my favorite art collection in Taipei is Cage which located on the traffic island of Duenhua South Road. In the big red cage, there is a huge tree standing firmly in it. People who pass by can take a rest in the cage. I consider that the cage conveys the message of the imprisoned freedom of people who live in Taipei. Since Taipei is a fast-paced place where full of pressure, people who live in this city somehow tend to be restricted in so many aspects.
ReplyDeleteWell, if I misunderstand the new definition of Public Art, please let me know. It seems that the government officials want to hold Public Art as their property.
DeleteThe red cage is indeed beautiful; however, it also limits the growth of the tree. It is somewhat like a shackle. I know little about the life in Taipei , but I think that as long as we live in the modern society, there must be restriction on each of us.