Auckland and Seoul-based artist Seung Yul Oh presented Conduct Cumulus 2017 as part of Time in Space (territories and flow), to complete the curated element of the SCAPE Public Art Season 2017.
A community of oversize bubbles will drift across the lawn of the South Quadrangle in the newly refurbished site with a long, rich history of public use and cultural activity. Conduct Cumulus, with its light and playful tone, is the first public commission in the South Island by Oh. The artist has observed our enduring fascination with bubbles, such as during family time with children at play, and celebratory events such as children’s birthday parties. Bubbles also have interesting properties for those who see beyond beautiful floating spheres. No matter what shape it has initially, a bubble will try to become a sphere – the shape that maximises the surface area and requires the least energy to achieve. When one bubble meets another, the resulting union is always one of total sharing and compromise.
The Philipp Family Foundation are responsible for significant funding towards the cost of the public artwork and an associated education resource which will bring many children into the city centre to visit, interact and enjoy the artwork. Leighs Construction have significantly contributed to the installation, in keeping with the art and industry sponsorship model SCAPE has successfully developed over the last, almost, 20 years. Both align to the idea that public art lends itself well to strengthening community and public engagement in the evolving city of Christchurch. Leighs Construction is presently on site at the Arts Centre delivering the CE West Theatre Restoration project. Past public art projects Leighs Construction has installed for SCAPE include Neil Dawson’s Fanfare 2014/15 and David McCracken’s Diminish and Ascend 2014.
The artist wants the work to honour the extraordinary actions and energies of Christchurch citizens, working individually and collectively through self-determined groups and communities of interest to rebuild their city post-quakes. The ‘Conduct’ within the title of the work refers to the idea of an orchestra where individual parts are conducted to form a unified rhythm of units. ‘Cumulus’ refers to an accumulation of airborne particles that appear to be shaped and directed by forces such as wind. The location of Rutherford’s Den and the history of the Arts Centre as a haven for families and culture also found an echo with the conceptual development of this work.
SCAPE Public Art Director, Deborah McCormick commented, “Oh’s Conduct Cumulus sculpture sees SCAPE engaging the public in this beloved central city space offering another reason to visit the Arts Centre. For many it may be their first visit to the iconic, newly restored, cultural hub of Christchurch and even to the city centre itself. We are especially delighted to be joined by a new lead sponsor in the Philipp Family Foundation and to have partnered in the production of the work by Leighs Construction. Oh is to be congratulated on his colourful, fun and engaging sculptural elements that create a fresh contemporary environment within the South Quadrangle.”
In the second Season of her three-year curatorial tenure of SCAPE, Heather Galbraith has celebrated artworks which explore how different understandings of time (geological, cultural, cosmological), and alternative ways of recounting histories combine to shape a sense of place. The 2017 artworks have been shown in a range of spaces around Christchurch, with many remaining in place beyond the planned Season to be enjoyed in the city for early summer.
Born in Seoul, Korea in 1981, Seung Yul Oh moved to New Zealand 15 years ago and completed an MFA at Auckland University’s Elam School of Fine Arts. He now divides his time between Auckland and Seoul.