boundaries of infinity h
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BOUNDARIESOFINFINITYNORBERTFRANCIS ATTARD
BOUNDARIES OF INFINITYCONCRETE SCULPTURE WITH WATER FEATURE IN PUBLIC SPACE
COMMISSIONED BY DE PANNE CITY COUNCIL, BELGIUM
BEAUFORT 04, TRIENNIAL OF CONTEMPORARY ART BY THE SEA
CURATED BY PHILLIP VAN DEN BOSSCHE.
SQUARE IN FRONT OF MAYOR’S OFFICE, DE PANNE, BELGIUM, 2012.
DIMENSIONAL PLANS AND SECTIONS OF PROJECT
BIRD’S EYE SCHEME OF PROJECT IN RELATION TO THE SQUARE
Commissioned as a follow up to his previous work in Kamiyama, Japan (±1.618034, 2004) it is evident
that “Boundaries of Infinity” also draws heavily on inspiration from the work of Leonardo “Fibonnaci”
Pisano, a 13th Century mathematician of Italian origin who’s Golden Number is one of the first recorded
mathematical progressions attempting to unravel the hidden ratio by which natural organisms (and
therefore nature itself) propagate in time.
Opposed to the tranquil, natural setting the Artist found in Kamiyama, the setting for this second per-
manent piece - De Panne, Belgium – offers a relatively busy site amidst urban, vehicular and pedestrian
flows. Alluding that the key to the whole may be unraveled even in observation of only a small part of
it, the installation occupies only a small part of the site: a semi-circular green from within which a few
trees, planted with a seemingly natural rationale, grow. The use of subtle perceptive tools has here been
employed by Attard in an attempt to propose that one overcomes the disensitisation proposed of urban
life and is able to appreciate the beauty and simple complexity of one’s place within nature.
Opposed to proposing a pure copy of his previous work, Attard executes through “Boundaries of Infin-
ity” an urban gesture showing an acute sensitivity to the particular nature of the site. The artists’ gesture
is intentionally subtle, and emerges as a number of raw concrete sculptures that function as urban fur-
niture and define a somewhat more intimate setting to the rest of the space. At the same time defining
an enclosure and suggesting the space beyond, the concrete elements somehow define a space which
is as adequate for small social gatherings as it is for solitary contemplation. Inspired by the way in which
Fibonnaci attempted to define an order within the seemingly chaotic mathematics of life, Attard seeks
to unravel and express the contradictions with which we define our very own perception of the urban
space we inhabit.
The very name chosen by the artist for this piece “Boundaries of Infinity” indeed alludes to the
contradiction inherent and made apparent by the installation. The commanding presence expressed
of the main concrete sculpture is intentionally juxtaposed against the illusive reflections seen in the
pool of water below. The main sculpture itself, which reflections, solids and voids suggest a visual
interpretation of the Fibonnaci Series and its fractal nature, emerges as an exercise in the delicate
balance of presence and nuance. On the side of the concrete sculpture, the artist has imprinted a
series of numbers. The series starts with a suggestive “1+1...” and continues with numbers that are
subsequently the product of their own addition... the artist therefore alludes to the numerical nature
of the spatial model displayed within the concrete sculpture and by placing it in the natural setting
from which it was born, suggests one is immersed in the very fabric from which an acute insight and
self-awareness may be derived – if only we are to temporarily substitute our urban sense of sight for
that of contemplative vision.
“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret. It is only with the heart that one can see rightly.
What is essential is invisible to the eye.” � Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
PETER BRINCAT
Architect based in Malta
BOUNDARIES OF INFINITYCONCRETE SCULPTURE WITH WATER FEATURE IN PUBLIC SPACE
COMMISSIONED BY DE PANNE CITY COUNCIL, BELGIUM
BEAUFORT 04, TRIENNIAL OF CONTEMPORARY ART BY THE SEA
CURATED BY PHILLIP VAN DEN BOSSCHE.
SQUARE IN FRONT OF MAYOR’S OFFICE, DE PANNE, BELGIUM, 2012.
PROJECT DESIGNED BY NORBERT FRANCIS ATTARD, MALTA
PROPOSAL PLANS AND 3-D DRAWINGS BY ALEX SPITERI, MALTA
KUNST eV., SHORE, BELGIUM: MANAGED BY JAN MOEYAERT
VALERIE VAN HEUTE, PRODUCTION MANAGER
GUDRUN VAN BELLE, PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
JONAS VANDEGHINSTE, PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
DE PANNE CITY COUNCIL:
ROBERT BUTSRAEN, MAYOR
VEERLE VAN ACKERE, MAYOR’S SECRETARY
GEERT VANTUYNE, CULTURAL SERVICE
ELS DESAEVER, CULTURAL SERVICE
WIM MOREL, ENGINEER
CONSTRUCTION BY FURIBO, VEURNE, BELGIUM: MANAGED BY STEVEN MAEYAERT
WIM RECOUR, SERVICE COMPUTATION
BENOIT DEMEYER, PROJECT SERVICES