Unity Used in Art & Design

"For me it’s really important that the work here displays an aesthetic of decay along with the sunken boat with the broken ceramic pieces. They form a unity in showing the power of destruction, the beauty of destruction, whether it’s from nature- because the boat has sunk- or through other forces. It’s really the beauty of decay and death that holds a power here."
- Cai Guo-Qiang

Cai Guo-Qiang

"Reflection," 2004
Excavated boat, porcelains, 18 x 50 x 16 feet. Installation view: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
Collection of the Artist
Photo by Cai Guo-Qiang
Courtesy Cai Guo-Qiang

http://www.pbs.org/art21/images/cai-guo-qiang/reflection-2004

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After some searching, I was able to find this quote by Cai Guo-Qiang on the sense of unity found in the above piece.  It struck me immediately because it applies directly to the principles and elements of design that we are currently exploring in class.  I find it refreshing to see destruction, power, and death become the unifying factors of a piece.  It adds nicely to the dark and mysterious quality of the work.