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