Client: GyeongGi Cultural Foundation

Overview

Poetic Kinetics’ artist Patrick Shearn will present Visions in Motion, a large-scale, outdoor, public art installation at the “Let’s DMZ Peace Arts Festival” held annually in the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Curated by the GyeongGi Cultural Foundation, Visions in Motion was displayed until October 30, 2022 in Pyeonghwa-Nuri Park in the Imjingak area of Paju, South Korea. Visions in Motion was previously exhibited in 2019 when working with the curator Kulturprojekte Berlin which commemorated the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall at the Brandenburg Gate, Visions in Motion Korea will continue to facilitate a global conversation by and for the people. The sculpture is made up of over 100,000 strips of sailcloth fabric draped upon a supporting structure in a curved, wall-like form to symbolize the bending of the border between North and South Korea. “Art transcends borders and tugs at the thread of our common humanity,” shared Shearn. “Here I strive to use my artwork as a platform for bringing people together in the spirit of hope and action.” Visions in Motion is part of Shearn’s signature body of work called the Skynet Series—inspired by the graceful murmuration of birds flocking together or schools of fish coalescing and moving simultaneously

Goals

The goal of the “Let’s DMZ Peace Arts Festival” is to promote peace and coexistence while highlighting the environment and culture in the Demilitarized Zone. The 250-meter (800-foot) participatory sculpture was conceived to be a symbol for peace and the united power of people overcoming injustice—incorporating messages from individuals all over the world to visualize a collective voice of hope. During the festival, the Korean public contributed messages of positivity, unity, and peace to the artwork, joining tens of thousands of messages already presented within the fabric of the work, thereby growing the installation.

Additional Information

Both iterations of this installation are a part of Shearn’s signature Skynet Series, inspired by the beauty of murmurations – the phenomenon of birds flocking together. They serve as a visual metaphor for unity and the power of collective action, promoting a global conversation of hope and peace. The transition from Visions in Motion Germany to Visions in Motion Korea signifies the ongoing desire for unity and harmony worldwide, with Shearn’s artwork as a powerful vehicle for expressing these universal hopes and aspirations. “Art transcends borders and tugs at the thread of our common humanity,” shared Shearn. “Here I strive to use my artwork as a platform for bringing people together in the spirit of hope and action.”