The public animal sculptures of Gábor Miklós Szőke were the key elements of the 17th FINA World Championships’ international promotional campaign. The different pieces of the Water Legends sculptures could have been seen at the venues of the championships in Budapest, Hungary. The central idea of the video was to embody the six disciplines of the Aquatic World Championships by using water creatures. These legendary animals show similarities both in their abilities and their features to the characteristics of certain sports: swimming is symbolized by the most fearsome animal of the seas, the shark; open water swimming is represented by the wanderer of the oceans, the whale; with its characteristic movements, the dolphin became the symbol of acrobatic diving; while the orca stood for high diving; the school of fish exemplified synchronized swimming; and finally, the octopus became the emblem of water polo.
It was exciting to see how the sculptures came together to create a unified group. In the statues, I combined rustic and industrial elements, which complement each other perfectly. I used new and re-purposed materials like driftwood, vintage ship lanterns and rusty steel. During the installation of the sculptures, it was part of the concept that the venues hosting the competitions of the world championships should be interpreted as contemporary exhibition spaces as well.
WATER LEGENDS SCULPTURES
“I have portrayed sports through animals many times in my work. I think the elemental force and dynamism of animals are such traits which can make certain animals symbols of certain sports.“
The basis of the director’s concept is that instead of the traditionally composed images starring athletes, the six sports are placed into a symbolic space. Each of the animals have a certain quality, which correspond to the movements of the sportspeople of the respective disciplines.
Snapshots from the Water Legends promotional video
The animals come to life in a utopistic, classicist space under mock frescos depicting the water sports. To help the associative process between the animals and the sports, black and white footage of the greatest athletes of the past and their glorious moments are projected onto the walls.
I was always interested in the fauna of deep waters, in the strength and the mystery hidden therein. The design was the result of continuous experimentation. First, I drew an analogy between the water sports and the character of the animals as I created the 3D models. I tried to embody the inner strength of marine life through the use of materials of different weights and sizes. All of them are different: they are composed of rustic, etched, naturalistic surfaces and heavy, hand-carved, hardwood elements, which are connected by huge, welded, steel sheets and other industrial components. Elemental force, wondrous achievement and perfected technique, all these can be said of our top athletes.
Video in Hungarian
Making of images of the Water Legends
