architectual site specific art
FASSADENGESTALTUNG, Wall Design
Yupik Spirit building art design Design on the Eskimo Civic Center in Bethel-Alaska USA, Homepage Artist Mirko Siakkou-Flodin: www.mo-metallkunst.de -----------------artist concept: Visiting Bethel during the Camai Festival, 1996 and inspecting the proposed building "Yupiit Piciryarait" including the exhibition of Agayuliyaraput- The Living Tradition of Yup'ik Masks, followed by intensive study of Eskimo culture in the library of Nunapitchuk, guided me to this artistic conclusion which fuses the main ideas of Eskimo life and their understanding of the relationship between humans and nature. Y'upik MaskThe mask I have created is a traditional design from this area. It includes the meaning of spirit and soul of the universe and stars, and the significant understanding represented by the holes in the hands to signify the spirit's compassion for the animals. The spirit of the mask is allowing some of the animals he hunts to successfully slip through his palms and return safely home. The migrating geese traveling north to south through the Kuskokwim Delta are passing by the proposed mask. To represent this idea of compassion for the hunted animals, there are 6 geese on the left of the building area of "A2" but only 5 on the rights side "A1". Thus only 1 goose is caught and the others are allowed to pass through. This proposal binds architect Tom Livingston's architectural design of the front facade together like a banner. Aluminum was chosen as the material because of its lightness (for mounting on the facade) and durability against corrosion. The natural gray oxidation color is close to the geese's natural colors and the structure will make transportation to Bethel as easy as possible, thus responding to Livingston's call for "appropriate technology" for Arctic architecture in Alaska