If at first glance Suspended Arcs looks like a reprise of Scholar’s Rock, that is because the Olympic Art commissioning body had seen, admired, and made it clear that they wanted a project similar in form to Scholar’s Rock. Zimmerman, while using an analogous vocabulary of materials for years, prided herself on not repeating the forms of her sculptures and resisted working up a reiteration of her other work. However, she came to understand that the circumstances here were complicated: the Olympic Art Committee chose twenty international artists to make work for various Olympic venues. All of these artists were selected on the basis of works they had previously created because the committee had to calculate ahead of time how much space each work would require and how much fabrication time to expect. Zimmerman explained, “As it turned out, making this project was a positive experience. Just to be in Beijing during the Olympic construction period and to see the contemporary art explosion and all the new architecture being created was very exciting…”

Another requirement of the commission was that the work had to be fabricated entirely in China using Chinese materials. Working through an interpreter at the fabrication site just outside of Beijing, it was clear that although Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) conditions were not in effect in the Chinese compounds, the workers were extremely competent and respectful of the design as well as of the artist. Zimmerman summed up her experience: “I think given the time pressures and mixing of materials—steel and stone—the fabrication of the piece and placement in the park worked very well and in the end it became a popular site.” 


COMPLETED 2008
LOCATION
Olympic Park, Beijing, China
SITE DESCRIPTION
New park in Beijing city center
PRIMARY MATERIALS
Chinese granite and stainless steel
COMMISSIONED BY
2008 Olympic Art Committee