Description
Ring Stone is composed of twelve individual but indivisible links cut from a 39 and one-half-foot-long single block of white granite weighing approximately 14 metric tons. The massive stone block was quarried from the caves of Zhangbanzhen, Hui An County, near the artists hometown of Quanzhou in southern Chinas Fujian Province, which also is where artisan stonemasons carved the work. Five graceful Japanese Black Pine trees, reminiscent of images found in traditional Chinese landscape painting, are planted inside the rings and another two pines reside nearby. MITs Ring Stone, which celebrates the Sloan School of Managements educational and cultural ties with China, is both firmly fixed and ever changing. The interlocking, inseparable granite links form a chain, representing the individuals relationship to society. The rings are simultaneously symbolic of both wholeness and emptiness; and while the stone timelessly grounds the work, the seven Japanese Black Pines will slowly grow over time and change with each season. The solid granite contrasts with the elegant branching of the pines, suggesting the enduring power of nature in a modern urban architectural space. The twelve inextricably linked rings refer to the twelve months in the Chinese lunar calendar as well as the twelve animals in the Chinese zodiac, each of which is associated with one of eight Buddhist patron deities. The pine trees, which retain their green foliage even in a severe winter, represent longevity and endurance in the face of adversity. Cai has placed Ring Stone in its location on the Sloan School lawn according to the exacting principles of feng shui, the Chinese understanding of how qi (energy) flows throughout the universe. The artist is a serious student of this complex belief system, which has been practiced in China since 1100 B.C. Based on the concept that man and nature must exist in harmony,feng shui incorporates the concept of yin and yang of balanced forces in every aspect of existence. Whenever anything in nature becomes too yin or too yang, it moves to become the opposite. Cai has studied extensively the use of feng shui in Chinese military history and architecture. He also has worked with officials in Mito, Japan, to analyze the citys feng shui to develop solutions to unblock energy within the citys circulation systems. In siting Ring Stone, Cai has used feng shui to bestow beneficial qi on the Sloan School by blocking the inauspicious energy created by traffic converging from Broadway and Main Street. Cai has stated that the MIT Percent-for-Art provided him a perfect platform to bring his first public work to a university campus, I have a close relationship with MIT. I was in residency at the List Visual Arts Center in 200304, so I am glad to have a chance to work with MIT for my new creation.
Details
- Work Date:
- 2010
- Location:
- Room No. 1
- Dimensions:
- 95 in. x 422.5 in. x 95 in. (241.3 cm x 1073.15 cm x 241.3 cm)
- Medium:
- Granite, seven Japanese Black Pine trees
- Credit Line:
- Commissioned with MIT Percent-for-Art Funds and made possible by generous donations from the Annie Wong Art Foundation and the Robert D. (‘64) and Sara-Ann Sanders family