Artist Roberto Arcuate collects waste such as plastic pipes and gives them a new life in the form of porcelain sculptures. (Photo: VNS/VNA) The project, named Union: Narrations of a Civilisation, aims to convey amessage about the environment. Its idea is to take and copy everyday wasteobjects and reproduce them in porcelain sculptures with all their labellinginformation in blue.
It will feature nine sculptures generated from different waste that the artisthas selected. Three sculptures are based on the selection of domestic wastethat is normally generated in the home like paper, glass, plastic bottles;three others are based on the selection of urban waste that is normallygenerated in areas where people coexist and the rest on based on the selectionof commercial waste from offices, restaurants, and stores, usually food, paper,or cardboard.
In the later phase of the project, he intends to select some of the finished objectsto create a form of conglomerate type mass with the help of clay, cement andoven heat.
He said: “The word UNION in this project refers to something obtained byconglomeration (gathering, piling up, and joining fragments). The projectproposes to show how a narrative of a consumer society is constructed and howits waste can be reincorporated into our civilisation from reproductions ofitself.”
The 46-year-old artist has pursued Union: Narrations of a Civilisation for fiveyears under the sponsorship of the Mexican government. He conducted parts ofhis project in Mexico, the US, China and several others before coming to Vietnam.
He first came to the country eight years ago as a tourist and had theopportunity to have first-hand experience of local culture. He was particularlyimpressed with Vietnamese handmade pottery due to its sophistication anduniqueness and decided to finalise his installation project in the Bat Trang ceramicvillage on his second visit.
He added: “Vietnam has a culture similar to other countries in the region butalso has its own identity and pottery is an example. The clay in Bat Trang villageis different from the places I've been to. In addition, a most striking featurein each product is the craftsmanship.
“I have travelled to Jingdezhen town, the ceramic capital of China. But I wasstill impressed on how meticulous it takes for each Bat Trang artisan to createthe best version of their works. They don't focus on mass production.
“It has been a great adventure to have this visual experience. I think BatTrang is becoming famous in the world and soon we will hear much more aboutthis wonderful area of Vietnam.”
It took him a while to find the appropriate pottery workshop and kiln.Eventually he found one that could provide him with English-speaking assistantsand a space to work without affecting its daily production.
It didn’t take him long to get accustomed to his new life and discover moreexciting aspects from the simple things of city life.
Every day, the Mexican artist drives his motorbike from his apartment in thecentre of Hanoi to Bat Trang village, about 10km away. Possessing aninternational driver's license, driving a motorbike has caused him nodifficulties, unlike many other foreigners who might feel afraid of heavytraffic in the capital city.
“I leave home early in the morning and return at sunset," he said."Along the way, I always hear very special sounds. People say it's thesound of summer cicadas. It was the first time in my life that I heard suchsounds.
“Another interesting thing is that Hanoi has a lot of rivers and lakes and itrains frequently this season. I find the climate here wonderful. My hometown isin Monterrey, a dry area with many deserts, hills and having no natural watersource, so when I saw Hanoi with many rivers and lakes, I was extremelyexcited. Whenever crossing the Red River, I often try to slow down to enjoy theview.
“The most important wealth is the kindness of every person and also the spiritof work that could be seen everyday. Without a doubt, that makes Vietnamdifferent from other countries.”
Arcaute has also been collaborating with the Mexican Embassy in Vietnam toconduct a series of art activities, like a conference at the Vietnam Universityof Fine Arts.
“I feel very lucky because it is not easy to win such art support in my country,”he said.
Arcaute plans to have Union: Narrations of a Civilisation exhibited in bothMexico and Vietnam next year, and at the same time, publish a book describingthe entire project in four languages: Spanish, English, Chinese and Vietnamese.
The Mexican artist also revealed that he would like to travel to Ho Chi Minh City, DaNang and several other destinations during his next visit to explore the nativeculture, which might inspire him with his future works./.
VNA
