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Published on September 27, 2007

 Renowned Japanese artist Ryohei Miyata

jetted into town last week to present

his dolphin sculpture titled

"Fliegen Springen".

The artwork is part of the "Sculptures at CentralWorld" project, an initiative launched by Central Pattana Plc in collaboration with the Japanese Chamber of Commerce, Bangkok and the Embassy of Japan to mark His Majesty's 80th birthday this year and the 120th anniversary of Thai-Japanese diplomatic relations.

Depicting a family of five dolphins, symbolic of the close relationship between the two countries, the six-metre-high "Fliegen Springen" - German for flying dolphin - will be permanently exhibited in front of Central World.

The sculpture is made of a black luminous metal known as duralumin, which has been painted in pure gold, blue gold, and silver.

Miyata, who is also president of Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, is one of Japan's best-known artists in the fields of traditional crafts and metal sculpting.

He has been sculpting dolphins for several years, having fallen in love with these gentle mammals as a young man sailing around his native Sado Island, in Japan's northwest.

"The first time I encountered one was during my school days. I was just 18 at the time. I saw something jump out of the water and realised it was a dolphin."

The inspiration for turning the creatures into artworks came later, while he was a research student at the Museum Furkunst und Gewerbe in Hamburg, Germany.

"For years I've been creating art using dolphins as a motif. But this is the first time that I've created a dolphin sculpture in a vertical posture," he says.

"This piece depicts five dolphins working together in harmony, playfully splashing water as they soar towards the sky. It's a metaphor for the relationship between Thais and Japanese. These mammals make up a family. The small dolphin on top rides on the shoulder of a large dolphin and its curved body makes it appear as if it is flying forward to the future. It's an expression of the past, present, and future."

The professor hopes his sculpture will inspire a sense of confidence and courage in all Bangkokians.

"Today, there aren't many students or artists interested in becoming sculptors," says Miyata, who has been with the university for 40 years.

"But art is a good way to communicate a sense of wellbeing to the public."

Robust and durable, public sculpture has been part of everyday civic life for centuries, but Miyata hopes that people still recognise its value.

"Nothing could make me happier than for this piece to be adopted by the public. Hopefully, people will soon be saying, 'Let's meet in front of 'Fliegen Springen'," he smiles.

Kupluthai Pungkanon

 The Nation