That’s why the group has gathered in a stilt house along the Cau River in Bac Ninh Province, to contemplate ideas, methods and even mathematical formulas for carrying out an ambitious project to transform the visually unappealing cement dike into a public work of art.

The mastermind behind the project is Nguyen Thu Thuy, a journalist and layout artist at the weekly magazine Ha Noi Moi (New Ha Noi). Thuy addressed the artists who had gathered to discuss Con Duong Gom Su Ven Song Hong, The Ceramic Road along the Red River, the project to adorn the dike with a colourful mosaic.

"We meet here today in Phu Lang pottery village to discuss our ideas for implementing this project," Thuy said to the dozens of lacquer painters, sculptors and ceramic artists who had gathered.

"We as young artists will leave a contemporary impact on this wall," she said, adding that the work should reflect the beauty of Vietnamese traditional cultural motifs and icons but in a modern manner.

If the dike, located north of Ha Noi, is completed by 2010 as scheduled, it will be dedicated to "our beloved Ha Noi", Thuy says, in honour of the capital city’s millennial anniversary celebration.

The 6km-long dike will run from Au Co Avenue through Nghi Tam, Yen Phu, Tran Nhat Duat, Tran Quang Khai and Tran Khanh Du roads.

Comprised of six one-km-sections that features different subjects, the ceramic mural will feature a section on retracing historical periods of Viet Nam patterns, a section of modern Ha Noi painters, a section for international artists, a section for artist from all over the country, a section for children and the highlight at the Chuong Duong Bridge.

Thuy’s husband Nguyen Huy Cuong, in charge of orchestrating the financial side of the project, sees the dike as symbolic of the capital city, making the project a perfect anniversary gift.

"I believe that this work of art will reflect the level of development of our beloved city," he said. "The dike was built only with dirt, but we grew grass to protect it. Now that we’ve strengthened it with cement, we’ll put ceramic art on it."

The nitty gritty

As the project is still in its early stages, meeting attendees, including American ceramic artist Joel Bennett, tossed out ideas about how exactly the mosaic should be designed.

"I suggest a section of the wall that calls on artists from around the world to send in tiles with messages to Ha Noi and a section of the wall dedicated to children around the world," said Bennett, owner of Joel Bennett Studio in Forestville, California, and teacher of ceramics at Santa Rosa Community College.

A Viet Nam War protester in the US in the 1970s, Bennett has been to Viet Nam five times before, holding an exhibition in Ha Noi and participating in a ceramic symposium in the town of Viet Tri in 2005.

Thuy had her own ideas about the design of the project.

"On the two sides of the bridge, I visualise two ascending dragons in the Ly dynasty style, to commemorate the Ly King and the millennial anniversary of Ha Noi," she said.

According to Vietnamese legend, when King Ly Thai To moved the capital from Hoa Lu, a small town in the mountains, to Dai La Citadel, he saw a giant dragon ascending into the sky. Hence he renamed the citadel Thang Long, meaning Ascending Dragon.

After further conversation, the group agreed on a date for a trip to Bat Trang pottery village, 16km north of Ha Noi. The team hopes to learn from the village artists, who in recent years have developed techniques for making smooth and cracked glazes in a variety of colours.

The birth

Thuy’s interest in mosaic art stretches back to a two-month stay in Europe over the summer of 2006, when she was studying at the Institute for International Journalism in Berlin.

In addition to studying the Babylon Wall in Berlin’s Pergamon Museum and Hunndert Wasser’s works in Damstard, Thuy spent seven of her eight weekends visiting ancient mosaic works in other countries. Her passion led her to Malmo, Sweden, to see Antonio Calatavar’s building The Turning Torso; to Barcelona, Spain, to see Antonio Gaudi’s architecture; to Athens, Greece, to visit the National Archeological Museum; to Brussels, Belgium, to admire the work of surrealist Rene Magritte; and to Paris, France, to visit the Louvre.

"I have always been fascinated by ancient ceramic works for their durability and magical colours," Thuy said. "I was astonished to see the mosaic work in Babylon with the blue glaze seemingly untouched though it was built in the 6th century BCE."

Thuy thought of a way to bring that interest home last year, when, on a trip with her mother, she walked along the dike, watching as a vast array of ceramic wares from the pottery villages in the Red River Delta passed by on boats.

"An idea struck me: why don’t we decorate the cement dike with ceramics from these villages?" she said.

Thuy then wrote a proposal for her project and submitted it to the Ha Noi People’s Committee, which is overseeing all projects dedicated to the city’s millennial anniversary celebration in 2010. Getting the committee’s stamp of approval meant facing a firing squad with questions about her project’s feasibility. Would the wall distract drivers and cause traffic accidents? Though unprepared for the question, Thuy argued that the work would be decorative but not stunningly eye-catching.

"The wall’s height is only 95cm," Thuy said, "so it’s not imposing from above, and it’s below eye level."

Afraid the committee wouldn’t give the project a green light, Thuy "tried to make it look as easy as possible and requested only a small amount of financial aid, VND200 million", she said.

Ancient motifs: These decorative motifs, which may be included in the mosaic decoration on the cement dike, were inspired by Viet Nam’s ancient ceramic pieces.

So now, after receiving the go-ahead last week, Thuy faces the next obstacle: gathering the financial resources to kickstart her project.

"Thuy always flies up among the clouds," financial administrator Cuong said about his wife and her big ideas. "I’m really worried about how to raise funds for this project."

With costs estimated as high as VND18 billion (US.2 million), Cuong, who owns a tourism company, decided to raise funds by starting a non-profit company called Nghe Thuat Tan Ha Noi, or New Ha Noi Art.

Aware of the project’s financial straits, participants are in it for the creative challenge, rather than for financial compensation. Nonetheless, Thuy is determined to pay the artists as soon as possible.

"I know you are here with me today for your love of art and Ha Noi, but I promise that when we get funding, we’ll pay you what you deserve," she said at the meeting.

Wheels in motion

After the meeting, Thuy led the group to visit the home, workshop and gallery of painter-cum-architect Bui Hoai Mai, which is located some 30km north of Ha Noi in Hien Van Commune of Bac Ninh Province.

In the 200-year-old wooden house restored to its former grandeur, Thuy said she was delighted to have found the principal artist for the ceramic road.

"On the wall leading to Chuong Duong Bridge," Thuy said, pointing to the ceramic bas-relief in the front yard, "I hope you can apply what you’re doing there."

Mai has studied wooden motifs in ancient pagodas, transferring some of them into ceramic and terra cotta to make decorations for resorts in the South.

"I see Mai’s work fitting my expectations of what the highlights of the mosaic should be. Some of the glaze colours need to be deeper, but that we can work on."

Donors and artists wishing to take part in the project can send their designs or request information about the project via e-mail to hanoimural@ fpt.vn.

Source: VNS

 http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=02SUN060507