DARE TO DREAM
Dare to dream sculpture project. Two sculptures where unveiled at the Cultural Olympiads, Place de la Francophonie, Vancouver, in February 2010.
This project emerged out of the artist’s desire to communicate intimately with others and to talk about our common humanity.
Through the fabrication and showing of two sculptures, Patricia Lortie-Sparks explores the dreams/aspirations and the fears of over 500 people who have agreed to share with us by answering the two following questions:
Sculpture #1: What are your dreams or aspirations?
Sculpture #2: What stops you from acting towards your dreams? Or, what did you overcome in order to advance towards your dreams?
The first sculpture honors people’s dreams, small and big. It is made of a bronze hand open and offering a fire like assemble of forged metal ribbons. On those ribbons are written (in French and English) a collection of dreams from people across Canada. The open hand allows for the expression of dreams that we often keep buried inside ourselves. This act of opening up is like permission we give ourselves to express our dreams as well as welcoming those of others.
The second sculpture talks about peoples inhibitors. Things like fears, habits and life situations preventing us from acting towards our dreams. It is made of a closed bronze hand that is trying to hold on to a variety of glass objects. Those objects represent a selection of inhibitors collected from people across Canada. Here, the closed hand is kept prisoner by its action of holding on and remains unavailable to open up to possibilities.
Exhibit at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics
The pieces where unveiled in February 2010 at the Place de la Francophonie, on Grand Ville Island, Vancouver, a branch of the cultural Olympics.
The artist was able to observe the impact of the sculptures on the public and is very happy to say that the work does reach people. They identified with it on a personal, often intimate level and where able to open up to the artist. Patricia cherish the memory of many intimate conversations with complete strangers who’s names she will never know. Strangers who recognize in this project our share humanity and our struggle to become who we wish to be in spite of our busy lives and ingrained patterns.