Marionette wins KL Mayor Sculpture Award

Excerpt from The Edge Galerie

Artist Lisa Foo’s gigantic marionette created from leaves, branches and twigs took home the trophy of the inaugural KL Mayor Sculpture Prize Award last night.

Awarded by KL mayor Datuk Seri Ahmad Phesal Talib at the closing ceremony of the Art in the Park (ATP) festival held at the Perdana Botanical Gardens in Kuala Lumpur, the winning sculpture was described by one of the three judges as an idea that was most engaging to the public.

 

 

The judging panel comprised top contemporary artist Ahmad Zakii Anwar, Singaporean architect T.K. Quek and Metropolitan Museum of Manila former director Cora Alvina.

 

“The use of leaves and branches as found objects from the park makes it ephemeral and botanical, and it deserves to be acknowledged in this inaugural award for its ambitious idea and execution,” said Alvina, in her citation of the sculpture.

Entitled, ”Walk in the Park”, Foo’s interactive sculpture was suspended beneath the expansive roof of the Perdana Canopy pavilion.

 

The marionette could be moved by visitors via a crank-and-pulley system. The artist explained that her intention was to transform the unexpected into art and beyond the norm of sculptural installations. The work actually focused on the fragility of life, reflected in the materials used.

 

See more at The Edge Galerie

Walk in the Park

16 October - 2 November 2014 . Art in the Park . Kuala Lumpur
@ Perdana Botanical Gardens aka Lake Gardens

The first public art event in KL's oldest park. 

Walk in the Park by Lisa Foo

Approximately 15 feet high, this gigantic, organic and interactive moving marionette is made of leaves, twigs and branches collected in the Perdana Botanical Garden. It represents the fragility of life as the marionette naturally withers away during the festival.

Giving the organic leaves, twigs and branches a second life, the public have the opportunity to interact and manipulate the movement of this puppet to their delight. An awareness to appreciate nature and life through art.

More on Art in the Park facebook page.

YMA II travels to Penang

17 January - 31 March 2014 . Penang State Museum & Art Gallery . Penang . Malaysia

Seacreature 13 by Lisa Foo @ YMA: New Object(ion) II travelling to Penang State Museum & Art Gallery at Macalister Road in 2014

Medium: PET bottles, cable ties, LED lights, chalk

Young Malaysian Artists II is an exhibition initiated by Galeri PETRONAS to celebrate young artists. New Objection is a collective effort to create artwork that are free from any form of restrictions, regulations or barriers. It aims to explore new creative abilities in the hope of discovering new art idioms or vocabulary. Using the combination of modern techniques, these artists manage to skillfully maneuver the traditional aesthetic concepts while highlighting the meaning of their artworks.
Curator: Badrolhisham Mohamad Tahir.

Artist Statement