Carole recently spent two months in Vietnam, where she completed her latest large scale sculpture, Swan. Carved of white marble, Swan stands nearly 10-feet tall and is prominently sited at the Abalone Resort and spa, Thuan An, Vietnam. This voluptuous sculpture speaks of heaven and earth and explores a recurring theme of transcendence.
The unusual female form struggles as she twists to emerge from the stone and with a nod to Leda, her arms are actually swan necks and are unfurling, pre-flight. Her head is an egg shaped void, signifying rebirth and possibility. Originally, the sculpture was installed, as planned, to allow for sunrise and sunset to be viewed through the void. However, shortly after installation in the Reception courtyard, serious concerns arose about its placement with the ample posterior facing such a prominent area of the hotel and Carole was asked to have it rotated. The crane returned and the situation was rectified.
Carole was in Vietnam to participate in world famous Hue Festival and 5th Hue International Sculpture Symposium. The only American, she joined 24 other sculptors. The Hue Festival was launched in 1998 by Hue University of Arts and currently organized every two years in conjunction with the Hue Festival – the Hue International Sculpture Symposium is Viet Nam’s main international showcase for the art of contemporary sculpture.
From Carole’s Opening Ceremonies speech:
It is with great pleasure that I represent the international sculptors honored to have been chosen to participate in the 5th edition of the prestigious Hue International Sculpture Symposium and to be a part of the 2008 Hue Festival.
In the short time that we have been here, we have been impressed by the beautiful natural landscape, the city's rich cultural history, and the friendly welcome and warm hospitality of all whom we have met.
We would like to thank Mr. Ngo Hoa, Vice Chairman of Thua Thien Hue People's Committee, Chairperson of the Organizing Committee of the Hue Festival 2008, Mr. Nguyen Duy Hien, Director of Hue Festival Center, Permanent Vice Chairperson of the Organizing Committee of the Hue Festival 2008 as well as all members of the Organizing Committee of the Hue Festival 2008 and the Executive Committee of the International Sculpture Symposium Hue 2008 for inviting us and taking such good care of us. We would also like to thank the Swedish-Vietnamese Fund for the Promotion of Culture, and a big thank you to the Abalone Resort and Spa for hosting us in such luxurious style.
We are very happy to be here and happy to meet and work with the Vietnamese sculptors - many of us have met before and welcome the opportunity to meet again as artists and friends, and some of us meet for the first time and have begun new friendships.
Art will always be a bridge - we make connections, form new opinions and understandings, express ourselves, gain new insights and inspiration, embrace other cultures, and engage in dialogs in which language is not necessarily a barrier. We are fortunate that symposiums such as this can expand our horizons, while at the same time bring us closer together in synergy.
We come from Australia, Austria, Belgium, China, England, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Peru, Philippines, Thailand, and the United States, and are pleased that this bridge has brought us to Hue. We look forward to creating our sculptures in this environment and in them will leave a part of ourselves and our countries. In return, we will take with us impressions of Vietnam and Hue, along with memories and friendships that will, no doubt, last a lifetime.
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