Brilliant Ideas Episode #11:
Jaume Plensa

Born in 1955 in Barcelona, Plensa is a renowned sculptor and public artist. Monumental public works, such as the sculpture of a young woman’s head or life-size humanoid figures, have become emblematic of the artist and found in cities as diverse as Rio de Janeiro, Calgary, New York and Tokyo. Although at first glance, the installations appear as mere iterations of traditional sculpture, the artist’s intention lies beyond the material representation. Plensa is a beloved figure in all of the cities his work is located, not least because his art is inspirational to locals. It is because the artist creates physical forms that give rise to new, non-physical spaces and opportunity. He says, “art in public spaces must convey something from out of the city.”

Plensa brings new perspectives on space and circumstance in his unique public installations. He works with diverse materials, including iron, copper, glass, light, water and sound. The artist at times utilizes a peculiar method of combining characters from different languages to form a structure that resembles the human body. Chinese, Japanese, Latin, Hindi and Arabic are some of the scripts he has used. The consonance between the diverse languages represents the diverse identities and conflicts of each region. To behold his works is to be drawn in, to gaze into the characters and the diverse worlds that they represent. Although characters are intended for written record, they also represent phonetic sounds, conjuring murmurs of hushed conversations. Perhaps the topic of choice is Plensa’s hope for a cohesive community and all the potentials inherent in it.

In addition to featuring the countenances of Chicago’s citizens, Crown Fountain also has a fountain and pool. Impressed by Spain’s historic fountains and water-spouting gargoyles as a child, Plensa created the illusion of spouting water from the faces on the towers. For the artist, water is an important metaphor for relationships between people. Not only is it a natural and familiar material, it also accounts for 60% of our body composition. It is no surprise that so many visitors unhesitatingly step into the pool. Though less than a centimeter deep, it is enough a space for the public to enjoy and gather within a sense of community. The uplifting and inviting setting serves as a bonus. Plensa went beyond the duties of creating a public sculpture. He recomposed the public space and successfully realized a place of social communication, harmony and exchange between the diverse citizens of Chicago.
Plensa explains that he has to “take into consideration the everyday use of the space, because a public space is not a museum and has completely different rules because you are interfering in the everyday lives of people.” He wholeheartedly welcomes the opportunity to work with those parameters. He loves people and conversations with those from different backgrounds. The Spanish artist’s work and creativity are truly a testament to the power of public art in changing people’s perceptions, and a refreshing reminder of the important role of art. ■ with ARTINPOST

Born in 1955, in Barcelona, Spain, Jaume Plensa is an artist dealing with public sculpture and installation. His public projects are installed in such various cities as Chicago, Liverpool, London, Dubai, Tokyo, and Vancouver. From textured portraits to monumental outdoor sculptures like Nomade (2007) and well-known public projects including the Crown Fountain (2004) in the Millennium Park in Chicago, Plensa has been working on a wide range of forms of art. A fountain titled Crown Fountain (2004), presenting LED screens that displays over 1,000 people’s faces, is his representative piece that made him one of the world’s foremost public artists.
Plensa has applied the concept of “inside and outside, front and back, and light and darkness” to stimulate emotion and intelligence. He often creates human body shaped sculpture by combining a variety of materials including steel, bronze, water, light, sound, and video with texts written in English, Chinese, Latin, and Arabic characters, and this can be said as Plensa’s signature style.