Visionary environments
Encyclopedia
Visionary environments are extensive/large-scale artistic installations (buildings, sculpture parks, etc.) intended to capture intense subjective/personal experiences (dreams, fantasies, obsessions, etc.) of their creators. The subjective/personal nature of these projects often implies a marginal status for the artists involved, and there is a strong association between visionary environments and outsider art
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Outsider Art
The term outsider art was coined by art critic Roger Cardinal in 1972 as an English synonym for art brut , a label created by French artist Jean Dubuffet to describe art created outside the boundaries of official culture; Dubuffet focused particularly on art by insane-asylum inmates.While...
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List of visionary environments by artist name
- Aw Boon HawAw Boon HawAw Boon Haw, OBE was a Burmese Chinese entrepreneur and philanthropist best known for introducing Tiger Balm. He was the son of Hakka herbalist Aw Chu Kin, with his ancestral home in Yongding County, Fujian Province, China.-Biography:-Business:...
(胡文虎) (sponsor/concept): Haw Par VillaHaw Par VillaHaw Par Villa is a Chinese mythological theme park in Singapore, located along Pasir Panjang Road.The park contains over 1,000 statues and 150 giant dioramas depicting scenes from Chinese folklore, legends, history and illustrations of various aspects of Confucianism...
(Singapore), Tiger Balm GardenTiger Balm Garden (Hong Kong)Tiger Balm Garden , also called Aw Boon Haw Garden, was located at 15, Tai Hang Road, Tai Hang, Wan Chai District, Hong Kong. The garden was adjoining the Haw Par Mansion and its private garden. The Tiger Balm Garden was demolished for redevelopment in 2004...
(Hong Kong) - Jim Bishop: Bishop CastleBishop CastleBishop Castle started as a family construction project situated in the Wet Mountains of Southern Colorado in the San Isabel National Forest located North West of Rye, Colorado...
(USA) - Johann Michael Bossard: Kunststätte Bossard (Germany) (official site)
- Ferdinand ChevalFerdinand ChevalFerdinand Cheval was a French postman who spent thirty-three years of his life building Le Palais Idéal in Hauterives...
: Le Palais idéal (France) - Jean CocteauJean CocteauJean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau was a French poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, playwright, artist and filmmaker. His circle of associates, friends and lovers included Kenneth Anger, Pablo Picasso, Jean Hugo, Jean Marais, Henri Bernstein, Marlene Dietrich, Coco Chanel, Erik Satie, María...
: Chapelle Saint-Pierre à Villefranche-sur-Mer, Chapelle Sainte-Blaise des Simples de Milly-la-Forêt (France) - Lluís Domènech i MontanerLluís Domènech i MontanerLluís Domènech i Montaner was a Spanish Catalan architect who was highly influential on Modernisme català, the Catalan Art Nouveau / Jugendstil movement. He was also a Catalan politician....
: Palau de la Música CatalanaPalau de la Música CatalanaThe Palau de la Música Catalana is a concert hall in Barcelona. Designed in the Catalan modernista style by the architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner, it was built between 1905 and 1908 for the Orfeó Català, a choral society founded in 1891 that was a leading force in the Catalan cultural movement...
(Spain) - Kevin Duffy: Rectory Garden Centre, Tudor Village (UK) (official site)
- Tom Every: ForevertronForevertronDr. Evermor's Forevertron, built in the 1980s, is the largest scrap metal sculpture in the world, standing 50 ft. high and 120 ft. wide, and weighing 300 tons. It is housed in Dr...
(USA) - Howard FinsterHoward FinsterHoward Finster was an American artist and Baptist reverend from Georgia. He claimed to be inspired by God to spread the gospel through the environment of Paradise Garden and over 46,000 pieces of art. His creations overlap folk art, outsider art, naïve art, and visionary art...
: Paradise Garden (USA) - Robert Garcet (French Wikipedia article): Tour d'Eben-Ezer (French Wikipedia article) (Belgium)
- Antoni GaudíAntoni GaudíAntoni Gaudí i Cornet was a Spanish Catalan architect and figurehead of Catalan Modernism. Gaudí's works reflect his highly individual and distinctive style and are largely concentrated in the Catalan capital of Barcelona, notably his magnum opus, the Sagrada Família.Much of Gaudí's work was...
: Park GüellPark GüellPark Güell is a garden complex with architectural elements situated on the hill of El Carmel in the Gràcia district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí and built in the years 1900 to 1914...
, Sagrada FamíliaSagrada FamiliaThe ' , commonly known as the Sagrada Família, is a large Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí...
, Casa BatllóCasa BatllóCasa Batlló is a building restored by Antoni Gaudí and Josep Maria Jujol, built in the year 1877 and remodelled in the years 1904–1906; located at 43, Passeig de Gràcia , part of the Illa de la Discòrdia in the Eixample district of Barcelona, Spain...
, Casa MilàCasa MilàCasa Milà , better known as La Pedrera , is a building designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí and built during the years 1905–1910, being considered officially completed in 1912...
, Casa VicensCasa VicensCasa Vicens is a family residence in Barcelona , designed by Antoni Gaudí and built for industrialist Manuel Vicens. It was Gaudí's first important work. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Works of Antoni Gaudí" in 2005....
(Spain) - Manfred GnädingerManfred GnadingerManfred Gnädinger a.k.a. Man or O Alemán was a German hermit and sculptor who lived in the village of Camelle, on the Costa da Morte, in Galicia . He lived a very simple and natural life, building sculptures on the beach where he lived and tending to his small garden...
: The Museum of the German (Spain) - Hang Viet Nga: Hang Nga guesthouseHang Nga guesthouseHằng Nga guesthouse , popularly known as the “Crazy House” , is an unconventional building designed and constructed by Vietnamese architect Dang Viet Nga in Đà Lạt, Vietnam. Described as a “fairy tale house”, the building’s overall design resembles a giant tree, incorporating sculptured design...
(Vietnam) - Friedensreich HundertwasserFriedensreich HundertwasserFriedensreich Regentag Dunkelbunt Hundertwasser was an Austrian painter and architect. Born Friedrich Stowasser in Vienna, he became one of the best-known contemporary Austrian artists, although controversial, by the end of the 20th century.-Life:Hundertwasser's father Ernst Stowasser died three...
: WaldspiraleWaldspiraleThe Waldspirale is a residential building complex in Darmstadt, Germany, built in the 1990s. The name translates into English as forest spiral, reflecting both the general plan of the building and the fact that it has a green roof. It was designed by Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser,...
, Grüne Zitadelle von Magdeburg (German Wikipedia article) (Germany) - Raymond Isidore: Maison Picassiette (French Wikipedia article) (France)
- Karl Junker (German Wikipedia article): Junkerhaus (German Wikipedia article) (Germany)
- Leonard KnightLeonard KnightLeonard Knight is the builder and chief architect of Salvation Mountain. He lives at the mountain near Slab City, a few miles from Niland, California, and approximately from San Diego.-Childhood:...
: Salvation MountainSalvation MountainSalvation Mountain is a colorful art installation covering much of a small hill north of Calipatria, California, near Slab City and just several miles from the Salton Sea. It is made from adobe, straw, and thousands of gallons of paint...
(USA) - Chalermchai KositpipatChalermchai KositpipatChalermchai Kositpipat , is a Thai visual artist. Primarily a painter, Chalermchai's works have been exhibited worldwide, and he is known for his use of Buddhist imagery in his art.-Biography:...
(เฉลิมชัย โฆษิตพิพัฒน์): Wat Rong KhunWat Rong KhunWat Rong Khun is a contemporary unconventional Buddhist and Hindu temple in Chiang Rai, Thailand. It was designed by Chalermchai Kositpipat. Construction began in 1997,finished in 2008.-Style and construction:...
(Thailand) - Eddie Owens Martin: PasaquanPasaquanPasaquan is a compound near Buena Vista, Georgia. It was created by an eccentric artist named Eddie Owens Martin, who called himself St. EOM. The site is maintained by the Pasaquan Preservation Society....
(USA) - Helen Martins: The Owl HouseThe Owl HouseThe Owl House is a museum in Nieu-Bethesda, Eastern Cape, South Africa. The house itself was inherited by a woman named Helen Martins after her parents had died .-Construction:...
(South Africa) - Tressa Prisbrey: Bottle Village (USA)
- Simon RodiaSimon RodiaSabato "Simon" Rodia was an Italian-American architect. Rodia created the Watts Towers, one of the most famous landmarks in Los Angeles.-Biography:...
: Watts TowersWatts TowersThe Watts Towers or Towers of Simon Rodia in the Watts district of Los Angeles, California, is a collection of 17 interconnected structures, two of which reach heights of over 99 feet . The Towers were built by Italian immigrant construction worker Sabato Rodia in his spare time over a period of...
(USA) - Nek Chand SainiNek ChandNek Chand Saini is an Indian self-taught artist, famous for building the Rock Garden of Chandigarh, an eighteen acre sculpture garden in the city of Chandigarh, India....
(नेक चंद सैणी): Rock Garden of Chandigarh (India) - Niki de Saint PhalleNiki de Saint PhalleNiki de Saint Phalle, born Catherine-Marie-Agnès-Brandon Fal de Saint Phalle was a French sculptor, painter, and film maker.-The early years:...
: The Tarot GardenGiardino dei TarocchiIl Giardino dei Tarocchi or The Garden of Tarot is a sculpture garden based on the esoteric tarot created by Niki de Saint Phalle in Garavicchio, province of Grosseto, Tuscany, during the late 1970s.-External links:*...
(Italy) - Jules Senis: Jardin Rosa MirJardin Rosa MirThe Jardin Rosa Mir is a garden located in the center of La Croix-Rousse quarter in the 4th arrondissement of Lyon, and created by Jules Senis. It is housed in a courtyard of the building at No. 83 Grande Rue de la Croix-Rousse. It can be accessed through a path located at No...
(French Wikipedia article) (France) - Vollis Simpson: Windmill Park (USA)
- Bunleua SulilatLuang Pu Bunleua SulilatBunleua Sulilat was a Thai/Isan/Lao mystic, myth-maker, spiritual cult leader and sculpture artist...
(บุญเหลือ สุรีรัตน์): Buddha ParkBuddha ParkBuddha Park, also known as Xieng Khuan , is a sculpture park located 25 km southeast from Vientiane, Laos in a meadow by the Mekong River. Although it is not a temple , the park may be referred to as Wat Xieng Khuan , since it contains numerous religious images...
(Laos), Sala KeokuSala KeokuSala Keoku is a park featuring giant fantastic concrete sculptures inspired by Buddhism and Hinduism. It is located near Nong Khai, Thailand in immediate proximity of the Thai-Lao border and the Mekong river. The park has been built by and reflects the personal vision of Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat...
(Thailand) - Robert Tatin (French Wikipedia article): Musée Robert Tatin (France)
- Lek ViriyaphantLek ViriyaphantLek Viriyaphant was an eccentric Thai millionaire and patron of culture responsible for the construction of Ancient City, Erawan Museum and Sanctuary of Truth.-See also:...
(เล็ก วิริยะพันธุ์) (sponsor/concept): Sanctuary of TruthSanctuary of TruthSanctuary of Truth is a sanctuary under construction in Pattaya, Thailand. It is an all wood construction building, resembling a temple, and filled inside and out with wood sculpture based on traditional Buddhist and Hindu motifs. The building, which resembles a temple, is close to 105 meters ...
, Erawan MuseumErawan MuseumErawan Museum is a museum in Samut Prakan, Thailand. It is well known for its giant three-headed elephant art display. The three storeys inside the elephant contain antiquities and priceless collections of ancient religious objects belonging to Khun Lek Viriyapant who is the museum owner.The...
, Ancient City (Thailand) - Jacques Warminski: L’Hélice terrestre (France) (official site)
- Bruno WeberBruno WeberBruno Weber was a Swiss artist and architect, specializing in fantastic realism.-Early life:Bruno Weber was born in 1931 in Dietikon, Switzerland. In 1947, he completed college in Zürich under Johannes Itten, the founder of chromatics...
: Der Weinrebenpark (Switzerland) - Isaiah ZagarIsaiah ZagarIsaiah Zagar is a Philadelphia mosaic artist. He is notable for his murals which are primarily in or around Philadelphia's South Street.-Early life:Zagar received his Bachelor of Art from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York City...
: The Magic Garden (USA) - various artists: The Albany BulbAlbany BulbThe Albany Bulb is a former landfill largely owned by the City of Albany, in California. The Bulb is the west end of a landfill peninsula jutting west from the east shore of San Francisco Bay...
(USA)
See also
- Visionary environments (Wikipedia category listing)
External links
- http://www.rawvision.com/sourcebook/sourcebook.html
- http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/offthemap/html/travelogue_menu.htm
- http://www.shrines.tv/