The Construction of Love Sculpture 2014 Ian Ward Garlant This giant Norwegian flag integrates symbols, words, and meaningful quotes from a range of cultures. Tibetan inscriptions appear next to Chinese hexagrams. Nordic runes bump up against Arabic calligraphy. Each language is unique, but the words are created with strikingly similar lines. Universal themes of love and compassion come together to form a collage of global truth. Tui = Joy (I Ching) The I Ching is an ancient Chinese text, originally used for divinaon and now considered a book of wisdom. In the I Ching, sixty-four hexagrams provide advice on everyday challenges. Each hexagram consists of a combinaon of six horizontal lines, either unbroken ( yang) or split in half (yin). This parcular hexagram means tui , or “joy.” Look for it in the upper right quadrant of the ag. Wahdah = Harmony (Kufic) Kuc script is the earliest version of Arabic, and its geometric style diers from the owing lines and curves recognizable as Arabic wring today. Because Kuc script consists of straight lines and 90-degree angles, it was ideal for inscribing on metal coins or stone buildings. This word, wahdah, means “harmony” in Kuc. Look for it in the lower right quadrant of the ag. Alu = Spirit (Nordic Runes) Alu is oen translated as “spirit,” and it appears frequently in runic texts as a charm word designed to invoke magic. Alu has also been translated as “ale,” perhaps referring to the spiritual feeling that can accompany intoxicaon. The English word “spirit” shares this double meaning. Alu appears sideways on the ag.

American Swedish Institute - LoveNorwayX :Installations by Ian Ward Garlant Gallery Guide

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On view at the American Swedish Institute May 10 to Oct 19, 2014To mark the 200th anniversary of syttende mai (May 17, Norway’s Constitution Day), ASI is partnering with the Royal Norwegian Honorary Consulate to commission and premiere the work of contemporary artist Ian Ward Garlant in North America. Garlant’s sculptural reliefs celebrate and illustrate the principles that the peaceful separation of Norway and Sweden embodies – a monument to love, mutual acceptance and compassion. Love Norway X opens at the American Swedish Institute on May 10, 2014 and runs through October 19, 2014.Born in 1962 to an English father and Norwegian mother, Garlant left an illustrious career in London’s top fashion houses, including the men's clothiers Aquascutum and Hardy Amies, to dedicate his life to making art full time on Norway’s Hardanger fjord. Working with and within the landscape, Garlant’s creative process involves burning, bathing and scraping pre- used wood, asphalt and sand of the fjord to create new sculptural interpretations of ancient earthly monuments. His work has been embraced and co-created with community members from Hatlestrand, Norway, a small village on the edge of the Hardangerfjord. Together with local craftsmen, Garlant has found new ways to use readily available materials, some traditional and others high tech. Utilizing an array of quotations, words, symbols and patterns, culled from both the ancient and the modern, the pieces reflects mankind's continued hopes and wishes to create the best of all possible worlds – a testiment to love.Presented in the historic Turnblad Mansion Galleries, Love Norway X is comprised of two sculptural reliefs: " The Construction of Love", based on the Norwegian National Flag, measuring 14’ by 11.5’ and composed of 47 wooden box frames, each carrying a single symbol, attached to a freestanding "baffled" wall. The second, "Virgil's Column / A Golden Ideal", is a contemporary version of a freestanding runestone or dolman. The exhibition is produced by the American Swedish Institute, with support from the Royal Norwegian Honorary Consulate and in partnership with Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum. Love Norway X is made possible through the generous support of the Anne Ray Charitable Trust and the American Scandinavian Foundation. The American Swedish Institute is a gathering place for all people to share experiences around themes of culture, migration, the environment and the arts, informed by enduring links to Sweden. 2600 Park Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, USA. ASImn.org.

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5/24/2018 American Swedish Institute - LoveNorwayX :Installations by Ian Ward Garlant Gallery Guide

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The Construction of Love

Sculpture

2014

Ian Ward Garlant

This giant Norwegian flag integrates symbols, words,

and meaningful quotes from a range of cultures. Tibetan

inscriptions appear next to Chinese hexagrams. Nordic

runes bump up against Arabic calligraphy. Each language

is unique, but the words are created with strikingly similarlines. Universal themes of love and compassion come

together to form a collage of global truth.

Tui = Joy (I Ching)

The I Chingis an ancient Chinese text, originally used for

divinaon and now considered a book of wisdom. In the

I Ching, sixty-four hexagrams provide advice on everyday

challenges. Each hexagram consists of a combinaon of

six horizontal lines, either unbroken (yang) or split in half

(yin). This parcular hexagram means tui, or joy. Look

for it in the upper right quadrant of the ag.

Wahdah = Harmony (Kufic)

Kuc script is the earliest version of Arabic, and its geometric style diers from

the owing lines and curves recognizable as Arabic wring today. Because Kuc

script consists of straight lines and 90-degree angles, it was ideal for inscribingon metal coins or stone buildings.

This word, wahdah, means harmony in Kuc. Look for it in the lower right

quadrant of the ag.

Alu = Spirit (Nordic Runes)

Aluis oen translated as spirit, and

it appears frequently in runic texts

as a charm word designed to invokemagic. Alu has also been translated

as ale, perhaps referring to the

spiritual feeling that can accompany

intoxicaon. The English word spirit

shares this double meaning. Alu

appears sideways on the ag.
5/24/2018 American Swedish Institute - LoveNorwayX :Installations by Ian Ward Garlant Gallery Guide

2/2

Ann ek r = I love you (Nordic Runes)

Je taime. Te amo. Ich liebe dich.

Every language has a version of this phrase. In Ancient Nordic

runes, it appears in poetry as Ann ek r.What does this

short and sweet phrase mean? Simply, I love you.

Can you ndAnn ek rin the ag? Where might you nd

other hidden inscripons of love?

Sheirab = Wisdom (Mongolian)

Looking at this Mongolian word, you can recognize

similaries among ancient scripts. The shapes andlines of this Mongolian text appear very similar to

the Tibetan and Kuc scripts; all rely on paerns of

straight lines and rectangles.

This parcular word, sheirab, means wisdom in

Mongolian. Although the word is wrien vercally, it

appears horizontally in this piece.

Tseina = Love (Horyig)

The wrien Tibetan language has remained largely

unchanged since the early 800s A.D. Horyig was a

type of seal script, meaning the symbols seen herewere used to seal ocial documents. The wordtseina

means love in Horyig text. Although its wrien

vercally, this word appears sideways across the top

of the ag in this piece.

The Construction of Love

Sculpture

2014

Ian Ward Garlant

Artist Ian Ward Garlant constructed this flag out of tough

yet lightweight boat foam, typically used to construct

lifeboats on Norwegian oil rigs. He meticulously carved

each word and symbol into foam panels and then adhered

those panels to a wooden grid, coating it all with a veneer

of silvery paint.

Use this gallery guide to explore The Construction of

Love. Search through the lines and zigzags. Seek out

meaning. What can you find?