Art exhibit brings wisdom, new life to seldom-used space
Sometimes inspiration comes from the smallest, most trite things. Except, of course, when it doesn't.
Such is the principle underlying Columbia artist Jonathan Brilliant's latest project, "Field of Good Fortune," which brings six 4-by-12-foot fortune cookie fortunes to the corner of Main and Lady streets.
What began as a means of remembering conversations about art and music and working through a quarter-life crisis and a period of uncertainty following Sept. 11 has since grown into a decade-long practice of collecting fortunes.
Today, a selection of those fortunes stand as imposing works of art that Brilliant says encourage viewers to "struggle as hard as you can for whatever you believe in," remind them that "the important thing is to express yourself," teach viewers tidbits of Chinese language and offer their advice on how to play the lottery.
In addition to their nuggets of salient wisdom, these fortunes also show off their own character, as their large-scale replicas still show the food stains, tears and wrinkles.
"For me it was really great that the scanner at Signs Now picked up and maintained the unique textures and surface quality of the fortunes even in the process of printing at large scale," Brilliant said.
Likewise, perhaps the biggest inspiration Brilliant derives from his fortunes is not the messages themselves but instead how people interact with them.
As he puts it, "Like works of art, they are made out of essentially valueless materials, but we tend to cherish them because of the circumstances we receive them under — as a free gift at the end of a meal."
Similarly, his "Field of Good Fortune" work, which was funded by the Columbia Design League's Play With Your City initiative and opened on May 20, "will only be complete when viewers are present to enjoy the piece in person" to strike up conversations, reflect on the work and take note of a green space that Brilliant feels goes largely unnoticed by passersby.
"Rather than focus on simply creating a temporary monument or public sculpture, it is my intention to activate a specific space in downtown Columbia" and encourage Columbians to consider it more as a "site where an interesting art experience could happen," Brilliant said.
In addition to this overarching intent, Brilliant has the more humble and individual goal that his larger-than-life fortunes will "provide a moment of respite and reflection for people in the heart of the capital city."
Certainly, his is a noble goal, and the sheer size and disproportion of his project relative to its surroundings is sure to turn heads, and hopefully workers, drivers and pedestrians will pause for a moment at the display, which runs until June 20.
Perhaps, though, the true lesson of Brilliant's work also happens to be his favorite fortune: "Remember to share good fortune as well as bad with your friends."
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