Rapture in Suzhou

Sebastian Di Mauro has recently completed a major new commission in the city of Suzhou in Jiangsu province in China through Urban Art Projects. The resulting work entitled Rapture, is a site-responsive work that reflects the connection of local people to the waters of the Yangtze River and the fresh water Lake Taihu, adjacent to the development site. Sebastian’s concept for the project, an abstracted sculptural form of a leaping Carp, evolved from this significant landscape attribute, the lake, and the role it plays in providing the population living around it with food, nourishment and recreation.

Rapture was inspired by ancient Chinese images of carp, as carp are found predominantly in fresh waters like Lake Taihu. The fish is an important motif in Chinese mythology and the word for “fish”, yu, is a homophone for “abundance” and “affluence”. Caught in the act of propulsion, the fish’s leaping characteristic is set in such a proverbial idiom as “Liyu (Carp) jumps over the Dragon Gate”, an idiom that conveys a vivid image symbolising a sudden uplifting in one’s social status. This symbolic image, as well as the image of carp itself, has been one of the most enduring themes in Chinese paintings. The leaping carp conveys notions of vitality, potential and abundance – apt symbolic attributes for this new development in this productive area of China. It appears familiar yet unusual in its scale, form and presence. The stainless steel artwork is bold and contemporary in nature and the highly polished sections shimmer vibrantly in the sunlight reflecting its source and evoking its inspiration. Its lyrical form surprises, delights as well as reassures people.

Rapture is simultaneously iconic and symbolic and its appearance and prominence acts as a marker and way-finding device for visitors to the site. The feeling intended is that energy and abundance are present here.

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