Inspired by reflexology footpaths in Taiwan’s public parks, The Weight of Our Living by Philadelphia-based artist Rachel Hsu invited the public to embark on a tactile and meditative journey. Visitors were encouraged to remove their shoes before traversing an undulating surface of rounded stones embedded in a six-foot-diameter circular platform. An adjacent curved seating element created a space for repose and reflection, offering an escape from the fast pace of urban life.
WHYY: “A sculpture that probes your sole: ‘The Weight of Our Living’ quietly arrives on the Parkway”
Photos by Constance Mensh for the Association for Public Art
This grounding, restorative installation encouraged us to slow down and be mindful of our bodies in space. It gave us the opportunity to focus on the natural environment surrounding the work and make a journey that connects emotional endurance with physical experience.
The Weight of Our Living was the proposal selected for Art on the Parkway, a public art competition co-organized by the Association for Public Art (aPA) and the Parkway Council, in partnership with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (PPR). The open call asked artists, designers, and other creatives to propose a temporary public art installation in Maja Park on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway as a signature highlight of The 2024 Oval.
Photo by Constance Mensh for the Association for Public Art
Originally from Seattle, WA, Rachel Hsu is an interdisciplinary artist who works with visual art, language, and poetry. Her work has been exhibited nationally, including in Philadelphia and New York. She holds an MFA in sculpture from the Tyler School of Art and Architecture and a BFA in sculpture from Western Washington University. As an artist, Hsu is inspired by absence, relational ruptures, and slippages in translation. She engages the yearning that emerges from distance and displacement to make mental exertion and emotional endurance felt within one’s body. rachelhsustudio.com
From the artist:
The Weight of Our Living would not have been
made possible without the generous attention
and deep care of friends. I and my work are
possible only because they make it so.
I am especially indebted to the company,
thoughts, and labor of:
Nicolo Gentile
rod jones ii
Jenna Staffieri
Ryan Scails
Patrick Farrell and EAS Landscaping
The dedicated humans at the Association for
Public Art and the Parkway Council
Forever in gratitude, thank you.
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