Wonderland is a world of imagination and wonder that grows in our minds and lives in our dreams. Its boundaries run up against the edges of our brains and is limited only by the size of our minds. Or heads.
Courtesy Of Jaume Plensa
The Spanish artist Jaume Plensa has created and recently unveiled a large, new sculpture composed of wire mesh, at the base of Calgary’s tallest building. At the base of this landmark, The Bow, stands a massive human head- yes, if you read Alice into the form, I don’t think anyone will be offended. At over 10 meters in height, it is actually inspired by a real- life girl in Spain. But then, once, I modeled for a sculptor doing a work featuring Barack Obama doing a yoga pose, so I think the original model is only marginally important.
Courtesy Of Jaume Plensa
The work features two entrances- one on either side of the girl’s neck. Because of this, visitors can cycle through the massive sculpture. In what is actually a rather surreal experience, the ‘negative’ interior of the human head is made perceptible. Human heads are certainly one of the most frequent things seen by the human race, and as such they are… not that interesting. But time and time again, things are made completely new by nothing more novel than looking at them differently. The artist sums this up, ‘My vision for Wonderland is to inspire everyone who experiences the sculpture: I believe the architecture of our bodies is the palace for our dreams’.
Courtesy Of Jaume Plensa
