Monday 28 October 2013

Belfast Girl's Face Planted into Land in the Name of Art

From the ground, it looks like any other ploughed field, boggy in parts from recent rain.  But viewed from the air and you can truly appreciate this masterpiece titled "Wish".  It shows the face of an anonymous six year old Belfast girl, supposedly, "making a wish for the future ".  Although how you can tell by looking into the face of this starlet I'm unsure.  I was always under the assumption that you had to close your eyes to make a wish :D
 
Joking aside, it is an impressive piece of artwork by Cuban-American artist Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada.  Made up from 2,000 metric tons of sand, 2,000 metric tons of soil & approximately 30,000 wooden pegs, it stretches out across 11 acres of vacant land right next to the Titanic Belfast Museum in the Titanic Quarter of the city.
 
 
"WISH" by artist Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada
Titanic Quarter, Belfast, Northern Ireland
 

"Wish" land art viewed from above
[Photo Credit Business Insider]
Land Art - "Wish"
[Photo Credit: Business Insider]
Belfast does not have an abundance of structures high enough from which to see this artwork but those that are available provide only an oblique view. One of those viewing platforms would surely be from atop the gigantic yellow Harland & Wolff cranes which can be seen from just about everywhere you go in Belfast City.   However, visitors flying in and out of George Best Belfast City Airport can also get a free bird’s eye view of the artwork, clear skies permitting.

Land Art by Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada with Harland & Wolff Crane in the background
[Photo Credit: ArrestedMotion] 
"Wish" was commissioned for the The Ulster Bank Belfast Festival which runs each year during October, but will be hopefully remain in place (weather permitting) until December 2013.