As Brazil gears up for the Rio Olympics, artist Mariko Mori is unveiling a new permanent art installation at Cunhambebe State Park. The piece took more than five years to create.
Titled Ring: One With Nature, the piece, a 10-foot-wide acrylic ring perched above the nearly 200-foot-high Véu da Noiva or “veil of the bride” waterfall, has been installed by the artist’s environmental nonprofit, the Faou Foundation. In honor of the christening of the work, which is intended as an addition to the Olympic’s iconic five-ring logo, Mori held a performance on August 2 at the foot of the falls.
Faou Foundation advisory board member Marcus Vinicius Ribeiro noted that the piece “highlights an example of the beauty found throughout Brazil’s natural environment,” and “will contribute to the legacy of the Olympic Games.”
Mariko Mori, Ring: One with Nature (rendering). Courtesy of the Faou Foundation.
Suspended at the peak of the falls, Ring: One With Nature is designed to change in color throughout the day, based on the angle of the sun. At times, it will be an icy blue, at others, a radiant gold.
“I hope Ring will inspire viewers to create a ring within their own hearts and connect with others to create a chain of rings across the world in the spirit of oneness,” said Mori in a statement.
Mariko Mori, Ring: One with Nature (rendering). Courtesy of the Faou Foundation.
Curator Marcello Dantas called the piece “an audacious initiative that converges artistic vision, technical challenge, and political articulation in order to create an intervention in nature and in the imaginary.”
In Rio, the artist will take part in the torch relay on August 5, leading up to the lighting of the Olympic flame at the opening ceremonies. Mori will also collaborate with the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games to create a related work in Japan. Ultimately, she hopes to create one monumental environmental artwork for each of the six habitable continents.
See photos of the work and the inaugural performance below.
Mariko Mori, Ring: One with Nature opening celebration on August 2, 2016. Courtesy of photographer Leo Aversa/the Faou Foundation.
Mariko Mori, Ring: One with Nature opening celebration on August 2, 2016. Courtesy of photographer Leo Aversa/the Faou Foundation.
Mariko Mori, Ring: One with Nature opening celebration on August 2, 2016. Courtesy of photographer Leo Aversa/the Faou Foundation.
Mariko Mori, Ring: One with Nature opening celebration on August 2, 2016. Courtesy of photographer Leo Aversa/the Faou Foundation.