Fallen leaves to make art in Xuhui District
Jin Peihua, curator of the Xuhui fallen leaves festival talks about the forthcoming event at the Hui Forum in Xuhui District.
A festival featuring fallen leaves will begin later this month in Xuhui District when artists and members of the public will create artworks on a downtown street using leaves fallen from the trees.
For three weeks from November 24 there will be 20 art installations along a section of Fuxing Road W. between Huashan and Wukang roads. The exhibition will be themed on the ancient Silk Road, said Jin Peihua, curator of the festival with Shanghai Feilin Public Welfare Development Center.
Artists will use fallen leaves, wood, soil and stones to create art that highlights the different cultures, nations and tales along the Silk Road, Jin told the Hui Forum on Saturday.
The project was outlined at the forum on Wukang Road where artists and cultural celebrities introduced their latest productions to the public, mainly focusing on the surrounding Hengshan-Fuxing roads conservation area, which has many historic villas and famous people's former residences.
“Some of the artists have spent two years to travel along the Silk Road and visit various countries and cultures for inspiration,” Jin said. Passersby will be invited to pick up fallen leaves and help create some of the artworks.
One piece will be about movable-type printing, invented by Bi Sheng in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), which is one of the four great inventions of ancient China. Leaves will be made into various ancient languages such as the Greek, Mongolian, Siberian and Latin to represent these cultures, Jin said.
In another artwork, leaves will be piled up into the shape of a camel caravan, once the main transport along the ancient road. Other topics include "Tales of the Arabian Nights" and the flying goddess of the wondrous Dunhuang Murals.
One of the bus stops along the road will be made into the style of an ancient courier station along the Silk Road during the festival, Jin added.
Citywide, fallen leaves are being left on 29 streets this autumn to create a colorful spectacle that will last on some of the chosen routes until January 1. They include Sinan, Julu, Hengshan, Yuyuan and Xinhua roads, where visitors will be able to appreciate not only the golden canopies above their heads, but also the vibrant foliage beneath their feet.
Jin Peihua, curator of the Xuhui fallen leaves festival, explains the designs of two street artworks that will feature during the festival in Xuhui District.
Artists and cultural celebrities introduce their latest ideas to the public at the Hui Forum in Xuhui District.
The audience at the Hui Forum on Wukang Road where artists and cultural celebrities outlined their latest projects.
