Before our visit last month ,on our way home from a site visit, I had seen many images of the Hyundai comission to NYC based artist Kara Walker.⠀
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The Fons Americanus ( a 13m tall fountain which I read has been inspired by Buckingham Palace's Victoria Memorial ) is a collage of scenes exploring the transatlantic slave trade and those affected by it across Africa, America and Europe.⠀
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It's 360 degree story telling is powerful and moving and it's scale is something that , I am ashamed to admit, caught me by surprise ( despite being described as epic at the Tate's website... And my job being that of an architect...)⠀
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There are many unique elements I could talk about but one which I though is quite radical is the choice of materials. The bones of the sculpture are made of recyclable/ reusable cork, timber & metal, rendered/finished with a non-toxic acrylic + cement composite. This is a very interesting response at a time when every industry is looking to maximise it's resources and minimise the negative impact on the environment. ⠀
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I would have said it is worth visiting but given the current circumstances (Tate closed earlier in the week) I would invite anyone to look this up because it is very much worth taking the time to reflect. ⠀
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https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/kara-walker-2674/kara-walkers-fons-americanus⠀
