Relevance:
The significance of this work is that it raises awareness of our impact on an ecosystem. This was achieved by the soft sand edging around the water. When I step on the soft sand I became aware of my impact on that environment. The security guard simply raked away the footprint and said "that is the point"
ABOVE : Cai Guo-Qiang, Heritage, 2013. 99 life-sized replicas of animals, water, sand, drip mechanism; installed dimensions variable (detail)
Ninety-nine animals stand in a circle, heads bent, drinking from a clear pool of impossibly blue water. Predators and prey are lined up in peaceful harmony: lions and tigers together with giraffes, zebras, and antelope; a big black bear with small furry creatures... Heritage ... was inspired by Cai’s visit to the pristine environment of Stradbroke Island, off the coast of Queensland. These “creatures great and small,” at first sight examples of artful taxidermy, are in fact polystyrene casts covered in hyper-real fur made from goatskin. Likewise, Cai’s installations suggest that human redemption is possible only through oneness with nature. He often uses the number ninety-nine, as it represents a sense of perfection and, at the same time, something as yet incomplete. Although my first response to Heritage was a childlike sense of wonder and delight, I couldn’t help feeling wistful as I reflected on the implications of this imaginary Eden.
http://dailyserving.com/2014/01/cai-guo-qiang-falling-back-to-earth-at-the-queensland-gallery-of-modern-art/
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