Artist Statement
For her world renowned novel Gone with the Wind, Atlanta native Margaret Mitchell chose a title that evoked nostalgia for the departure of the Antebellum South a way of life that existed prior to the Civil War. Today, new technologies are rapidly shifting people’s reading habits away from paper books toward nonpaper gadgets. We want to create a piece of art that encourages people, especially the younger generation, to continue reading and experiencing the joy of holding a book. Our piece blends together local history, culture, and literary allusions with the title “Be Not ‘Gone with the Wind.’”
The sculpture is built with new and reclaimed deck boards. Stacks of wooden books form an irregular arch, allowing visitors to pass under, with stools made of wooden books both attached to the sculpture and scattered nearby. A flock of metal birds is attached to the top of the arch, symbolizing shifting social and technological trends.
Artist Bio
Wendy Zhang and John Cheng graduated in 1985 from the Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute in Jiangxi Province, China. Jingdezhen, known as the “Porcelain Capital,” boasts a 1,700year history of producing the highest quality porcelain in the world. In their work, Zhang and Cheng have used a variety of different materials, such as metal, wood, stone, and cement.
They have each held many professional sculpture exhibitions, and they currently live and teach sculpture to students in Suwanee, GA.
Wendy Zhang’s sculptures can be found installed in various cities in China, such as:
1999 China Fuzhou TV Center logo sculpture
2008 Beijing Olympic Park City sculptures
2009 China Urumqi Square sculptures
John Cheng’s sculptures can be found installed in various cities in China, such as:
1994 China Fuzhou City logo sculpture
1993 China Fuzhou City Yanfu statue
2011 China Xiapu City square sculptures