By Corinne LestchThe Daily Northwestern
Japanese artist Takashi Soga’s ring-shaped sculpture “The Sea of the Ear-Ring ’06” won the competition to decorate the corner of Sherman Avenue and Davis Street, bringing what Soga says is a sense of Japanese calm to the area in front of Sherman Plaza.
The 15-foot-tall sculpture of stainless steel and lead is composed of a large rectangular base supporting a horizontal ring. The ring is designed to move up and down with the wind, giving the impression that the ring is floating.
“The title symbolizes my concept,” Soga said. “The piece is based on gravity.”
Much of Soga’s work is infused with Japanese culture.
“Because I’m from Japan our nature is quite different from this country, and my experience for the space is very different,” Soga said. “And my concept is from very traditional Japanese space … It’s not a noisy space, it’s very quiet.”
He tried to recreate that in his piece, and he said he felt the location was perfect for it.
“My friend found (the Sherman Plaza competition) on the Internet and I thought the place was very good for my piece,” Soga said. “This is the first time any piece is being shown in a public area.”
The Sherman Plaza Public Art Committee chose Soga’s design from 155 submissions. Artists sent the committee sketches, digital images, slides and two-page descriptions of their projects.
“You’re looking for strength of ideas, and the first thing you look at is the most intriguing and interesting concept,” said Cultural Arts/Arts Council Director Jeff Cory, who facilitated and organized the competition. “You look at the artist’s background and track level and see if they have the ability to execute the project. Soga has demonstrated a strong track record.”
The submissions were evaluated in public meetings, and finalists were ultimately selected by a Public Art Review panel, which included local artists, architects, business owners and government officials.
“I think the scale of (Soga’s piece) was appropriate for that site,” Cory said. “It’s not the largest site, and so it was a bit of a challenge working with such a small site to come up with something that would have a major impact on people.”
Soga is a native of Osaka, Japan, and he graduated from Osaka University of Art and moved to the United States in 1999. He currently lives in Utica, N.Y. In 2003, he won the Ube City Open-Air Sculpture Museum Prize in Japan, and later was the Grand Prize recipient at the 13th International Art Exhibition in Japan. His work has also been exhibited at an East Hampton gallery in N.Y.
Reach Corinne Lestch at [email protected].
