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. For this iteration of the installation, Poetic Kinetics presented the sculpture in an 800-foot curved, wall-like form to symbolize the bending of the border between North and South Korea. The accessible and participatory format of the artwork allowed the Korean public to contribute messages of positivity, unity, and peace to the artwork, joining tens of thousands of messages already presented within the fabric of the work.

For the 30th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, curators sought a symbol for the unification of the German people. During the Peaceful Revolution, hundreds of thousands of people raised their voices and contributed to changing the tide of history. In honor of those who dared to speak up for peace and freedom, an international message collection campaign curated a contemporary voice of the people that was woven into the artwork. Displayed in an aerial format, the 20,000-square-foot installation elevated these messages into the air, soaring together in unison. The artwork was periodically lowered to facilitate contemplative moments of reading and ongoing message contribution for the public.

Process

Poetic Kinetics partnered with Kulturprojekte Berlin, the Brewery Art Colony and the Wende Museum in Los Angeles, and the GyeongGi Cultural Foundation in Korea to facilitate message collection from the public prior to and during the exhibitions. In addition to contributions from people worldwide in over a dozen countries, dignitaries and celebrities from then-Chancellor Angela Merkel to actor David Hasselhoff and Nobel Peace Prize Winners to K-Pop stars have participated in the artwork.

Over 1 million visitors visited the exhibition in Berlin in the span of ten days. Approximately 12,000 more attended the installation in Korea. Cumulatively, Poetic Kinetics has captured approximately 50,000 messages in the artwork.

Additional Information

Visions in Motion is a part of Shearn’s signature Skynet Series, inspired by the beauty of murmuration – the phenomenon of starlings flocking together in mesmerizing unison. Visions in Motion is uniquely participatory, symbolizing the voice of the people. With tens of thousands of messages collected from all over the world— the artwork is forming an open letter for hope and unity written by the global public. “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.”