Valentine’s Day at Yanghu Park, Changsha, China

My sculpture, “Look to the Horizon” was the inspiration for a Valentine’s Day event held beside it in Yanghu Wetland Park, Changsha, Hunan, China this past weekend.

Couples were invited to stand back to back, imitating my sculpture of a female and male which represent Yin Yang, have their photo taken and write a love note on the screen on the sidewalk. I am flattered that the Park department has organized this using my sculpture as a symbol of love. I wonder if it will become an annual event? As it is the Spring Festival now in China, this Love Event will continue this week until after the New Year.

“Look to the Horizon” was the sculpture I created for the first Changsha International Sculpture Art Festival held in Yanghu Wetland Park in September and October 2014. It is carved from a variety of granite from the coast of China and stands 3.6m tall. I was among 21 artists from 17 different countries that participated and each of us created a monumental sculpture for the Park. We worked in a field, demonstrating our carving techniques to the public and now that the works are finished, our sculptures have been relocated within the Park.

The photo here shows my sculpture in its final display position, but as it is the end of winter, the surrounding landscape looks a little bleak. The bare trees in the photo are ginkgos and will leaf out soon and the surrounding grass and flowers will grow and blossom.

Isn’t that like true love?