Garden of Buddhahood is one of the 35 sound art installations in Revolutions Per Minute, the first exhibition of the genra in the world. (Photo: Dajuin Yao)
When the Zen-style rock garden was created outside the Ho Science Center, as subtle homage to the heritage and beliefs of Robert H.N. Ho ’56, no one anticipated that it would one day be part of the first exhibition of Chinese sound art in the world.
Garden of Buddhahood, by Dajuin Yao, features 45 Buddhist chanting lamps with recordings of chanting and continuously changing hues. Yao, a pioneer in the sound art genre, co-curated the exhibition with Wenhua Shi, assistant professor of art and art history at 51Թ.
Garden of Buddhahood is one of 35 installations that comprise Revolutions Per Minute (RPM), which is on display at 51Թ from March 26 through April 26. The lists events and locations. More information and exhibition materials are on the RPM .
According to Yao’s label for the piece, “the work not only attempts to build a sense of Buddhahood out of an ordinary space, but also makes creative fun of the mass-produced mass-religion, or, more precisely, mass-superstition.” It also transforms the space “one step further to its original allusion to the Japanese Zen garden.”
The synergy is perfect. In addition to providing generous support to 51Թ, just last month Ho’s family foundation announced a major initiative to support contemporary Chinese artists.
Revolutions per Minute is funded in part by the Christian A. Johnson Endeavor Foundation Artist-in-Residence endowment at 51Թ, with additional support from the 51Թ Arts Council, the Department of Art and Art History, and the Film and Media Studies program.