Wings of Everchange (CHINESE) – Permanent Public Artwork for 70 Mulberry Street
On June 2023, I was commissioned to created a major permanent public artwork for 70 Mulberry Street as part of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Percent for Art program. This program mandates that 1% of the budget for publicly funded buildings in the city is allocated to the creation of public art.
Following a devastating fire in January 2020 that partially destroyed 70 Mulberry Street, the city commissioned its reconstruction and expansion. From its genesis as Public School No. 23 to its more than 40 years being home to essential community, cultural and social service organizations in Manhattan's Chinatown, 70 Mulberry embodies the legacy of the community it has served for more than a century. The new building, designed by Grimshaw Architects, will house Wings of Everchange (CHINESE), my new permanent public artwork
Collaborating with and giving back to my neighborhood since 1999 is a dream come true. This vibrant community has weathered significant challenges over the decades, from the events of 9/11 to the devastation caused by Superstorm Sandy and the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Chinatown has demonstrated remarkable resilience, and with this project, we aim to reflect the enduring character and history of overcoming adversities and embracing change.
Concept
Wings of Everchange (CHINESE), unfolds in three parts: a suspended sculpture in the atrium, a long continuous ink painting winding up the stair tower, and an online archive of oral histories from those who know the building and the neighborhood well. I conceived the work to embody a state of becoming. Rooted in the ancient wisdom of I-Ching, which teaches that change is inherent in all aspects of life, this work embraces our shared history to approach the future with openness and adaptability.
Wings of Everchange (CHINESE), unfolds in three parts: a suspended sculpture in the atrium, a long continuous ink painting winding up the stair tower, and an online archive of oral histories from those who know the building and the neighborhood well. I conceived the work to embody a state of becoming. Rooted in the ancient wisdom of I-Ching, which teaches that change is inherent in all aspects of life, this work embraces our shared history to approach the future with openness and adaptability.
Hanging Sculpture
The hanging sculpture is a creature of transformation, serving as the artistic guardian of the building. I will incorporate salvaged architectural elements from the fire, to acknowledge its painful past as the building block for the future. The wings unfurling from the creature’s body are shaped after Chinese calligraphic brush strokes, using keywords gathered from community members' aspirations for 70 Mulberry’s future. Glass orbs, dotted throughout the length of the creature, are vessels that contain memories of the neighborhood.
Examples of glass orbs from previous projects
I plan to collaborate with community members in creating these time-capsule glass orbs, from the design of the glass to the recording of oral histories of building occupants, in order to preserve them for the future. These orbs are an integral part of the physical sculpture in the atrium, and the stories linked to each glass piece will be accessible to be listened to on the project’s website and via mobile app.
, with a budget of $882,892.
Painting on Glass
a meandering ink painting spiraling up the glass shaft in the original building’s iconic five-story stair tower, which survived the fire. The paintings will draw inspiration from the histories and stories of the community service organizations that reside in the building.
These three parts of the project are organized by the calligraphic principle of “flying white” 飛白 to convey the strong and unbroken sense of community and history that the building represents. Flying white is a technique that creates elegant curves and lines by swifty moving a dry brush across the paper, leaving streaky or disconnected strokes. Yet, the white spaces can contain the vitality of the artist’s energy transferred through the brushwork.