Crystal Palace Dream
Crystal Palace Park Phone Box Gallery Project
The iconic red British phone booth continues to be preserved in significant numbers, particularly in the city center, catering to tourists. In Crystal Palace Park, a singular phone booth stands out, offering artists a space to dream and express their aspirations.At the same time, to bridge art with the visitors and local residence.
Power of eye
Inspired by the lovely dinosaurs sculptures in the park, the stone dinosaurs were the master piece by a sculptor Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, theses dinosaurs created a great public reaction during 1850s, and now they were renovated to be the educational as well as inspiration art pieces to the public. I was impressed during my first visit to these sculptures mainly from an artistic angle, therefore I would like to depict them into my art as well.
The Protective Smile
Inspired by the sphinxes which stood in front of the former Crystal Palace ( Used to host the Great Exhibition in 1850s, destroyed by fire in 1936) and facing the Italian Terrace. There were 12 in total and now remained 2 currently stayed in the park.
They remind me of the ruin of Angkor Wat, the 7 snake-head serpent, named Naga. The guardian of water, and represent the fertility.
Little Paris
The Crystal Palace Transmitting Station plays the role as a broadcasting and telecommunication site for the area, it was built and operated by John Logie Baird at the current site from 1933. When I saw it at the first time, it reminds me of the TV transmitter in Dalat, Vietnam, a tiny TV transmitter is good enough to offer the imagination of a Little Paris, or to some Hong Kong people, the Tokyo Tower.
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Acrylic on glass
56 x 162cm
2024, London