Gateway, by Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos, an artwork integrated in a whimsical pool garden and is the result of collaboration whit Jupiter Artland. The nine-metre swimming pool is surrounded by a hedge that frames the whole composition and is a natural limit to the artist´s intervention. Furthermor, It is essential not to easily give the visitor the obvious path to entrance of this constellation.
Of Gateway, artist Joana Vasconcelos states: «Gateway is a big splash that invites the public to immerse in a joyful and spirited dimension, leading to a connection with the energy of the Earth. It’s like a threshold to another universe that we’re not conscious of but through which we can flow».
The artist has incorporated patterns from her own astrological chart into the design of the artwork, which is made of 11,366 hand-painted and glazed tiles crafted using traditional methods at a 100-year-old factory in Vasconcelos’ native Portugal. Each tile is one of a kind and was developed by Viúva Lamego and Atelier Joana Vasconcelos for its specific location on this site. Like so much of Vasconcelos’ work, Gateway is collectively formed and the result is a labour highlighting the industry’s close cooperation with craftsmen and artists.
All images credited to Joana Vasconcelos, Dário Branco and Allan Pollok-Morris
