Talking Heads (Collective Conscious Series/COVID-19)

JEFRË

Part of the Jefrë: Points of Connection Exhibit

Year: 2020

Medium: Acrylic, LED neon, interactive QR Program

Courtesy of the artist JEFRË

Soundscape by Ayo the Producer

Courtesy of the artist

In the last stanzas of JEFRE’s poem Heart to Heart he reflects on today’s globally connected world in which he is a participant and observer. The things that divide us, nationalities, borders, languages must be negotiated in order to move forward, while underling this are aspirations broadly shared by people which create the possibility for connection and progress.

In the poem’s last stanza are words of empowerment which echo these individual and collective aspirations… “I am free, I am brave, I am kind.” As he does with his sculptures, JEFRË seeks language that is iconic, and which conveys meaning that resonates with the temper of our contemporary moment.

This is an interactive installation: Each of the fifteen heads of the installation contains one of these empowering words in a different language. On the floor beneath each head is a QR code. Capture this with your phone’s camera and follow the prompt on the screen. The program will pronounce each word in the language displayed and provide an English translation.

About JEFRË

JEFRË is a Filipino-American artist who was born Jefre Figueras Manuel, (b.1974. Chicago, IL.). He took courses at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago prior to receiving a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from Ohio State University. He also took graduate courses in landscape urbanism at the architecture association in London. A heart attack in 2008 changed the course of his career. Since then, he has won major public art competitions and has created numerous site-specific artworks in major cities around the world including Reflection (2010) Philadelphia, Unity Plaza, San Antonio (2012) and The Beacon and Code Wall (2014) in Orlando. His critical success in the US was the catalyst for commissions in his homeland of the Philippines including Contour Sculpture Series (2015), Talking Heads (2016), Heaven’s Gate (2019) in Manila. He is currently working on a 24-story high standing figure with arm raised, titled The Victor. Located at a bridge connecting the cities of Pasig and Quezon in the Philippines, expected to be completed in 2020, the sculpture will be one of the world’s tallest artworks and its projecting light a beacon of unity.

A resident of Central Florida, JEFRË is known for his innovative artwork The Beacon and Code Wall (2014) at Lake Nona town center which combines elegant architectural design and dazzling digital projections. This 60-foot-high work anchors the corner of the location’s parking garage. Additionally, for this site, Jefrë designed The Code Wall (2014), the architectural façade of the parking garage composed of an aluminum sheathing cut through with binary codes, and Diamond Dog (2019), a large-scale reflective aluminum sculpture in the adjoining plaza. More recently Jefrë has created Stargate (2019), a large-scale abstract sculpture accompanied by sculptural seating for a new park at AdventHealth Winter Park. JEFRË has also been selected to create a monumental gateway sculpture that will greet visitors at the Orlando International Airport’s new south terminal. With an understanding of historical, environmental, social and aesthetic issues impacting a given work, he ensures that it responds to and activates its location whether in a public space or gallery.