upcoming grant deadline: 05/15/2024
桃花源記
TAO HUA YUAN JI
Utopia: Source of the Peach Blossoms
September 14 – November 25, 2017
First Book Opening & Official Guinness Measuring Ceremony and Reception: October 12, 6:00 - 8:00 PM.
Location: Philadelphia Photo Arts Center (PPAC), Crane Arts Building, 1400 N American St #103
Colette Fu (LTA '13) will build the biggest pop-up book in the world inside PPAC’s Gallery. It will be approximately 14′ x 21′ x 58” and is inspired by Tao Yuanming, a Jin Dynasty (317-420) poet, who wrote of a traveler who came upon an isolated peach blossom valley beyond a cave where people seeking political refuge lived an ideal, harmonic life with nature and each other. Although villagers told the traveler not to tell of their location, he vainly marked his path and sent government officials who were unable to find it. To the Chinese, this story is metaphoric to an imaginary unattainable Utopia where the peach blossom symbolizes luck, love, and longevity, and to some – immortality.
Beginning on September 14, gallery visitors can watch the pop-up book making progress. Colette will be available to talk with visitors and answer questions during the Artist At Work! gallery hours (see website for details). Once completed, visitors will be able to look inside the center of the cave, and even enter the cave if they can crawl through the front opening, which will be about four feet high. The book’s magic will be revealed through a ceremonial opening every Saturday morning at 10:30 AM.
