Chinese Experience No. 6
Constructing Outdoor Sculptures in Changchun & Urumqi, China, Summer 2009.

It was an amazing and surprising summer. I did not have any plans to travel abroad, then, suddenly, I received invitations to participate in two international sculpture symposiums in two cities in China - Changchun and Urumqi. As I am always so anxious to construct outdoor sculptures around the world, I did not want to give up any of them. Luckily both organizations accepted my participation. On the 25th of July I found myself flying to Beijing. I landed in Changchun and was welcomed at the Airport by several people including my translator Meng. I was informed that the symposium will take place in Shuangyang, an hour drive from Changchun. Anxious to start constructing my five Deer piece, I was disappointed that the organization did not prepare the iron plates. It took about ten days to find a place for cutting the iron. Then began my work with the computer technician who translated my designs for the cutting machine.

Translating my designs, for iron cutting

During this time while I  waited for the parts of my Deer to arrive at the working camp, I was taken to see the highlights of Shuangyang.

At last, the iron parts arrived, and we could start connecting the legs, and the supports to the body in order to build the whole Deer.
Managing  the workers required a great deal of energy and attention.

We started working on the 5th of August. I was anxious to connect all parts of the Deer and bring them to a standing position before leaving for Urumqi on the l4th of August. On the 6th of August, the plan was to visit Changchun sculpture park (which I also visited last year - 2008).
The sculpture park was fantastic. About 300 beautiful sculptures spread throughout the green grass surrounded by rich vegetation; some of the sculptures reflected in the dark water of the lake.

Changchun Sculpture Park	Changchun Sculpture Park
Ilan Gelber, Changchun Sculpture Park	Changchun Sculpture Park

It was a marvelous day that ended with an extraordinary dinner in a very fine restaurant. There was great laughter and enjoyment among all the artists, translators, staff and friends.

Eating

The progress of the work was very slow. I had to press on the workers all the time. Sometimes one or more workers would just disappear. I and my translator Meng had to chase them. Luckily my intelligent and wonderful assistant Meng, helped me to get through these difficult days.

Meng Dezheng the translator

After all the frustrations, the five Deer are indeed constructed and standing.

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I am very happy and also pleased with the good reactions I received.
The l4th of August was a traveling day. An hour drive to Changchun, then one more hour in the Airport flying to Beijing.
After a four hour flight to Urumqi, I arrived in the evening. Urumqi situated in the North Western part of China is the capital of Zingjiang district. It is inhabited by 2.2 million people and divided by 46 ethnic groups famous for their rich, colorful culture and customs. The meeting with a lot of old friends was exciting. In the morning I saw the working camp from my room in the hotel. It looked enormous and full of promise and temptation.

Urumqi Working Camp

My sculpture Birds were lying on the ground, already cut and painted with the base color.

Birds on the ground

The initial plan was to build the Birds of 30 mm thick iron. I was surprised and happy to see that they were made of 50 mm. thick iron. It was always my dream to build sculptures of such thickness. Thickness, I believe, holds great power in itself.
Here the work was very well organized and executed.
The manager was Mao Yidong whom I had first met when he and his workers constructed my sculpture "Totem" for the Beijing Olympic Sculpture Park 2008.

Dina & Mao

The moment I had expected arrived when the crane erected the Birds.

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And the process of painting started.

It is always so exciting and satisfying to see the idea, born in my mind, transformed and realized in painted sculpture of thick iron.

It is a mystery, this process of translating pure thoughts or ideas to a real sculpture.
After the painting was finished, the four Birds were loaded on a big truck and transported to the park.

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Preparing the base

Another equally exciting moment was the installation of the four Birds, on the base that was finished the previous night.

Urumqi Sculpture Park, China
Group of Birds, 2009, Painted Iron, 620X730X460 cm.

Detail

The work was accomplished and what was left to do was taking a lot of photos, walking through the park and looking at all the other extraordinary sculptures made by other artists.

Devin Field	Chinese Sculptor
Zhang Xinmin	Kurt Schwager
Caroline Ramersdorfer	Jan Timmer - Dina Merhav - Zhang Xinmin

The symposium was coming to its end and the organization was busy preparing the closing ceremony which was very impressive and moving. A team of two television people from the Chinese Central TV wanted to interview me, of course I agreed. The first part was in the working camp. I told them about myself, my country and my work. At dusk we decided to continue with the interview the following day, before the closing ceremony. In the morning we met and walked around my sculpture.

Group of Birds

Detail

I explained the message and meaning of the sculpture to them; The four Birds represent four ethnic groups. They bend towards each other, composing a group that signifies unity and harmony. Like in all my works, it symbolizes my wish for a better world, a world with less aggression and war, more consideration, love and peace between human beings, animals and nature.
On the next day we were leaving. It is always such a good feeling to accomplish a task and move forward. The TV team insisted on accompanying me to the Airport and finish the interview with my departure from Urumqi. It was very interesting and inspiring and I also received a nice present from them.
Afterwards, it was another long day of traveling, first to Beijing and then to Changchun where my translator Meng, the photographer and the driver were waiting for me at the Airport. It was a very happy meeting.
In the evening when we arrived at the hotel, the translators and the staff welcomed me with hugs and kisses, I was very excited, surprised and overwhelmed. However, the next few days were not so easy. The workers had to prepare the five Deer to be painted. The grinding was poor and also the preparations for painting were not sufficient. I had to look for the workers constantly to do a better job. The preparations for the closing ceremony were now the most important issue for the organization, and there was nobody to help on the operational problems.
At last the Deer were painted and put in the proper position, suitable for future transportation to the sculpture park, which is being developed.

Shuangyang, China
Happy Family, 2009, Painted Iron, 430X1500X600 cm.

Detail

The last day arrived with the fantastic closing ceremony, in which we got certificates.

The Mayor of Shuangyang was very satisfied with my work. The Deer is their local animal and that is why they asked me to prepare a sculpture of Deer and not the other animals I had originally proposed.

The group of Sculptors and translators

Model of the sculpture "Birds Totem"

I received an email that my model of the sculpture Birds Totem won a prize in the Shanghai Expo 20l0 contest. It is going to be enlarged to the height of five meters and displayed for the Shanghai Expo 20l0.

Happy News.

The time to go home arrived after almost forty days of being far away. I felt great. It is inspiring and challenging to construct big outdoor sculptures in far away countries like China. But when that is done, there is nothing more desirable than to take a seat on EL AL Airlines, among loud Israelis and know that after eleven hours I will be back home.

Dina Merhav
September 2009