The tranquil zeppelin hovers over a 10m by 20m pool of water. Until the rice planted within begins to grow, the ship will reflect in the water's mirror-like surface. Its inner being and skeleton lie exposed, as do those who enter its 27m long interior.
The bamboo sculpture
can neither move nor fly. It is a monument to possibility - possibility
of noiselessly navigating the skies in harmony with nature, of bridging
great distances, of creating aesthetic connections between Asian and
European cultures. Designed in the shape of a zeppelin, a form created
when the West's nature-conquering spirit was idealistic and filled with
dreams, the airship is built on location in Bali by local craftsmen
using traditional building techniques and the most environmental of
materials. The opening of the installation will carefully follow the
complex Balinese calendar and the religiously required ceremonial and
sacrificial rites.
In conjunction with the outdoor installation, Markus Heinsdorff will be exhibiting new works in the wide interior spaces of Gaya Gallery, all reflecting in one manner or another his successive journeys through Asia, his enduring fascination with the beauty and potential of bamboo and his passionate interest in the aesthetics and perception of space.
The site of the installation is Gaya Gallery, the top contemporary art gallery in Bali - an island with a deep-rooted culture that mixes easily with five hundred years of visitors from the world over, now including Markus' enormous zeppelin. In the spring of 2003 the zeppelin will sail to Italy, where it will be reassembled in the city of Modena, closing one cycle of cultural exchange between East and West.
