A Little Bit of Syracuse Takes Over the Everson Museum

DV: DREW VONSCIO
HY: HU YAN

DV: “A LITTLE BIT OF SYRACUSE” IS TAKING OVER THE EVERSON MUSEUM OF ART.
STUDENTS CREATED REPLICA MODELS OF BUILDINGS THEY FELT WERE
OVERLOOKED BY CITY RESIDENTS… SUCH AS THE PALACE THEATRE, STUDIO 54,
AND MARSHALL STREET’S SHIRT WORLD.
PROFESSOR HU TELLS US HOW THIS IDEA OF A CITY REPLICA TURNED INTO
REALITY.

HY: “WHEN WE CAME TO SYRACUSE IN JANUARY, WE WERE SO EAGER TO LEARN ABOUT THE CITY, AND SO WE THINK THAT IT IS A PERFECT OPPORTUNITY THAT WE CAN COMBINE OUR RESEARCH MESSAGE TO THE IDEA OF EXPLORING THE CITY.”

DV: EACH BUILDING IN THE PROJECT WAS CONSTRUCTED USING TWO ART FORMS…
VISUAL NARRATIVE TECHNIQUES FROM JAPANESE GRAPHIC NOVELS AND
CHINESE LANDSCAPE PAINTING.

DV: WHILE THIS PROJECT MAY SEEM COMPLEX, ITS FOUNDATION IS RATHER SIMPLE.
TWO PROFESSORS USING ART FORMS FROM TWO COUNTRIES… TO CREATE ONE MASTERPIECE.
PROFESSOR HU EXPLAINS HOW THE TWO TECHNIQUES CAME TOGETHER TO
CREATE THE PROJECT.

HY: WE ALWAYS TRY TO FIND SOMETHING SHARED IN DIFFERENT THINGS. FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE JAPANESE GRAPHIC NOVEL ‘THE WORKING MAN,’ AND ALSO THE CHINESE TRADITIONAL PAINTING, WHAT THEY HAVE IN COMMON IS THAT THEY FOCUSED ON THE TRANSITION OF SPACE INSTEAD OF THE STORY OR THE PLOT.”

DV:
EVEN THOUGH THE NAME MIGHT BE “A LITTLE BIT OF SYRACUSE,” THIS EXHIBIT….
ISN’T SO LITTLE AFTER ALL.
REPORTING IN DOWNTOWN SYRACUSE FOR N-C-C NEWS, I’M DREW VONSCIO.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC NEWS)–The Everson Museum of Art has a new exhibit titled “A Little Bit of Syracuse” that models buildings within the city. The exhibit was created by students in the Syracuse University School of Architecture.

Each of the 80 models were hand-made by students, and the buildings chosen were selected based upon the idea they were often overlooked. While they might be overlooked, highlighting their significance is important as they paint the picture for the city of Syracuse.

Museum visitors familiar with the city will see several recognizable buildings, such as Shirt World from Marshall Street, Insomnia Cookies or Palace Theatre.

The project was advised by Li Han and Hu Yan, visiting professors from the Drawing Architecture Studio in Beijing, and students spent an entire semester working on this exhibit. Curiosity of the professors wanting to explore the city ultimately led to the idea of the project.

“When we came to Syracuse in January and we were so eager to learn about this city, so we think that is a really perfect opportunity that we can combine our research message to the idea of exploring the city,” said Hu.

Each building in the project was constructed using the art forms of Japanese graphic novels and traditional Chinese landscape painting. While these techniques may seem very far apart, they share one common trait.

“They focus on the transition of space instead of like a story or plot,” added Hu.

The exhibit will be on display at the Everson Museum until Dec. 31 for students, faculty, staff and city residents to enjoy.