A few more pictures from the Jaume Plensa exhibition at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
I love the presentation of the first two faces; I think this shows off the amazing countryside setting of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, right through to the field behind being ploughed just as I was taking the picture.
The heads here, Nuria and Irma, are modelled on two ordinary girls, one of whom is the daughter of a restaurant owner near Jaume Plensa’s home.
The second set of faces are from the indoor exhibition, set in a very cleverly lit room and quite breathtaking – almost frightening – at first. They’re beautiful. Signs at the entrance warn us not to touch for fear of damaging them. Strangely, that seems to add something to their fragility.
This third set of heads, In the Midst of Dreams, is also incredibly stunning and yet very peaceful. They’re lit from inside, with words imprinted on each of the faces; Ignorance, Wrath, Desire, Anxiety. The words add a special dimension. They’re not immediately fitting with the first impression of peace and stillness, but they move us into the inner person instead of just looking at the external.
As we were coming out of the exhibition, a mother was talking to her children about what they’d seen, and she was obviously trying to move them towards being better able to articulate their views. One of them became slightly frustrated with her, “I don’t know, Mum; I just loved it.”
The thing that I’m falling for the most about being at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park is that I have the feeling that it’s just fine to just love something and not be able to explain why. Or to not like it at all and not know how to explain that either. But it doesn’t seem to require more of us than we’re able to give, and it really does feel that the art’s just there for us to take whatever we want to from it.
These pictures are for the ‘Faces’ theme on my 365 Project, and they’re just a very small part of the exhibition and the whole range of things to see and experience.
The exhibition is at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park until 25th September 2011. Jaume Plensa has upcoming exhibitions in Chicago and Paris this coming autumn and spring.
The faces are fantastic. You have captured them wonderfully.
Thank you so much. I’m learning so many things through being part of the 365, and am really trying to work on composition at present.
These are really special. I especially like the top shot.
Thanks Gisele. The outdoor pieces really do make a huge impact.
—That is the beautiful thing about Art. It just “IS.” One does not need explanation or commentary. One only needs to feel it inside one’s soul.
I despise when somebody tells me what to think about poetry, books, or paintings. We all have our own experiences we bring…our own lives, our own ideas.
—–Love the photos.
what gorgeous photography. And the sculptures in the top shot just serve to highlight the beauty of the countryside even more. Lovely!