Tomie Arai

In/flux Installation: Swirl
Site: Vine Street Plaza (10th and Vine)

According to Tomie Arai, "Swirl is a visual portal between Chinatown proper and Chinatown North." Arai conducted a series of open workshops with the community to collect images for her installation, and then she printed these images as silkscreens onto the 10' circular wooden surface of Swirl. The surface is shaped to resemble the jade bi, a disc traditionally worn by the Chinese as a pendant or talisman. Sometimes called a 'living stone,' jade is said to deepen in color the longer a person wears it. Arai explains, "These overlapping images form a cityscape populated by historic and contemporary images of the changing neighborhoods of Chinatown."

Interview

Please explain the process you used for creating your piece (materials used, major steps).

I've worked with the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation to engage a cross-section of people. The fabrication of it will take a month. This summer I will come to the [Asian Arts] Initiative to get art related workshops (in two or three sessions) to get images for a cityscape populated by people who are part of contemporary Chinatown.

Workshops:
Through art related workshops and research, I will engage a cross-section of the contemporary Chinatown community in gathering portraits and other images for the cityscape.

Fabrication:
The fabricator suggested mdo plywood. The fabrication of the sculpture will take about a month. The disk will be 10 feet in diameter and have four pieces to it. The back piece of the disk is two pieces.

Installation:
In order to stabilize the sculpture as much as possible, I am working with a structural engineer to create a base and a frame. Looking at highway signage as a model, the engineer suggested a steel frame and cement foot so that the sign can withstand up to 80 mile per hour winds.

The fabricator will show his design to the structural engineer and make any changes the engineer recommends for safety and stability. After the engineer signs off on the final design, the fabrication of the sculpture will begin.

How did you come up with the concept for your piece?
a. How did the retreats help you develop your concept?
b. How did seeing Chinatown and talking to Chinatown residents affect your concept for the piece?

The sculpture for the Vine Street Plaza is a visual portal between Chinatown proper and Chinatown North. Located on the Plaza in the middle the Vine Street Expressway, the sculpture draws attention to the changing boundaries of Chinatown. In developing the concept for the sculpture, I worked closely with the Chinatown community through meetings and retreats. I have also communicated closely with the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation (PCDC), an organization that plans on further developing the Vine Street Plaza.

The shape of the sculpture is based on the circular shape of the jade bead people wear around their necks. This jade bead, originating in China, symbolizes good fortune and reflects the circular shape of heaven. The longer a person wears it, the deeper the color of the jade, as it becomes a 'living stone.' I am layering silk-screened images onto the surface of this circular shape. The sculpture creates a different kind of reading of the history of Chinatown with these layered and overlapping images, which all together create a cityscape. Chinatown has a wealth of experiences that encompasses a diverse combination of many cultures overlapping and converging in an urban environment.

How does your piece fit with the goals for In/flux?

I think that I probably took a more traditional approach to public art than some of the other artists who were looking for unusual venues. The piece itself was transformed and recast several times (originally meant for the outer wall of a rowhouse). When PCDC gave a tour of north Chinatown, it seemed important to create a piece for north Chinatown to reflect a changing community influx. And I wanted the piece to be a public piece in a public space. I know I have to deal with a lot agencies and larger audience for the work, which means a bureaucratic process. Most of the work I do is process based. When working with a community, the process is equally if not more important than the final products. The intent is not for masterpieces, but to create works that are accessible that the community feels ownership with. It's important to make sure people understand what is happening and that they can work collaboratively with the artist.

Community based public art is a new kind of public art. Pubic art used to be a monumental sculpture placed in a site without talking to the community. Community based public art is a painful process. Lots of mistakes are made along the way. In working with this kind of project, you can't have an idea that isn't affected by other people. I have to be sensitive and flexible and acknowledge that a perceived failure can be an opening to redefine something.

I've depended a lot on the Initiative to negotiate with different groups involved. I'm respectful of that process. The fact that there are many different agencies involved and a spectrum of individuals representing Chinatown shows it is changing. I hope this project brings different elements of it together. The fact that they are now talking about the plaza in concrete terms means to me that something is set in motion with the project. It's great that an In/flux project was part of that momentum.

Historic public art is always extremely monumental and usually marks events and places. In the last twenty years, the art world has changed a lot; it's looking at new places to make art outside of galleries and museums. Art for the twenty-first century involves redefining art and community, and changing public art is a great part of this. It's exciting to be part of In/flux as an exhibit that goes into uncharted territory. We're really being challenged to look at ways to work with community as well as places to make art. When people go to Philadelphia they think of Ben Franklin and the founding fathers, but they need to see a more diverse history of Philadelphia - they need to see the different communities' histories that make up Philadelphia's real history.

Why did you choose to be part of an exhibition in Chinatown?

As an Asian American artist, my work has addressed notions of community, how Asian Americans perceive themselves and how they are represented. The Asian American community has changed so much in the last 2 decades, particularly with the influx of new immigrations. I've always been drawn to Chinatowns and places where Asians gather. This is a place I would seek to work in. In fact, I have worked in the past with the Initiative so that I would have opportunities to work with an Asian community. Artists need to build relationships with organization and communities. They shouldn't see themselves as nomads who go in out of communities without investing themselves in the community.

Did the process of creating your piece (retreats) change your perception of Chinatown?

The Initiative has given me opportunities to build relationships and friendships with the community. Every time I come to Philadelphia I look at the community in a different way.

How does this work fit with your wider body of work?

The work that I've done in the past has been very process based, and my work explores collaboration, especially with community and community groups. I like working with people who are not artists, but people who are involved in sharing an interest in how art can play a role in building community. I've enjoyed coming back to Philadelphia to see how it's changing and to work with different people. Communities are always changing. It's difficult to define community. In the 70's it was as euphemism for the poor working people. Post 9/11 all our definitions of community, patriotism, and nationalism have had to be re-examined. I think there's more openness now to working with diverse groups collaboratively. With communities changing and expanding, there is a great need to work together to survive and to provide what people need for quality of life including health care and social services. To think only or ourselves is a selfish, singular vision. In/flux has opened that door for us to work with different part of the community.