The boy went to find the shape of the shadow

Born in Nho Quan district, Ninh Binh province, young artist Bui Van Tu once surprised and admired experts because of his rare talent, which is "light sculpture".

Following Mr. Bui Van Tu to explore the exhibition area "Journey of a Time-Traversing Diary" at the Prehistoric Footprints Studio (Ninh Binh city), we were able to "see with our own eyes and hear with our own ears" about the unique art school that the young man is pursuing.

In this space is a collection of nearly 100 light sculptures created by Bui Van Tu himself, telling the story of the stages of human development. From the time humans discovered fire to the agricultural period and then to the period of scientific and technological revolution.

Throughout "Journey through time diary", visitors cannot help but admire the magical and unique "transformation" of seemingly inanimate objects. Sometimes there appears the image of a dinosaur, a mammoth, a family of ancient apes, sometimes the image of a mother holding her child and the scenes of the early dawn.

In addition, this place also displays portraits of many national heroes such as King Dinh Tien Hoang, President Ho Chi Minh and many famous scientists, painters and musicians in the world such as Albert Einstein, Nikola Tesla, Leonardo da Vinci, Beethoven...

The boy went to find the shape of the shadow — Portrait of genius Leonardo da Vinci under the sculptural light of artist Bui Van Tu.

The special thing about these works is that with materials that at first glance seem to be waste such as broken ceramic pieces, driftwood, coils of electric wire, butter tubes, old sandals, soda cans, etc. arranged haphazardly, but with skillful hands and creativity and the support of light, young artist Bui Van Tu has created unique and impressive shadows.

Mr. Bui Van Tu said: "Light sculpture" is an art form that combines sculpture and light, thereby creating unique images from the shadow of an object. The mission of this art form is to tell stories about culture and life through shadows. Shadows are inherently inanimate, but the art of light sculpture has turned shadows into stories, different pieces of soul based on each emotion."

Talking about his journey to this art school, the young artist born in 1992 said: Once when I was building a rockery, when I used a light to shine on the wall, I accidentally saw its shadow that looked like a bear. At that moment, I suddenly thought, why don't I sculpt the light according to my own ideas and shapes? The journey to find the "shape" of the "shadows" officially started from there...

However, people usually only sculpt on materials such as ceramics, wood, metal, but light sculpture at that time had never appeared in Vietnam. The initial stage when starting to realize the idea was not easy, especially when Bui Van Tu was only a third-year student lacking knowledge, without any seniors to guide and open up.

In 2022, after a decade of pursuing, young artist Bui Van Tu introduced to the public for the first time the exhibition "Light of Knowledge". His works are highly appreciated by experts and art lovers for their creativity and uniqueness in a new school. Since then, he has continuously produced many outstanding works.

Professor Truong Quoc Binh, former Director of the Vietnam Museum commented: Light sculpture is a new art school, requiring many factors such as talent, aesthetics, painting, architecture, fine arts, etc. Bui Van Tu is one of the pioneers who opened and developed this art form in Vietnam. His works not only ensure the tightness of composition and light but also exude very meaningful and humane stories and messages.

During a decade of pursuing new art, the 9x artist has worked in various jobs such as construction engineer, creative director in the field of handicrafts. In addition to the exhibition area at the Prehistoric Footprints Film Studio, he also has many works on display at the Center for the Essence of Vietnamese Craft Villages (Hanoi).

Sharing about the upcoming journey, Bui Van Tu said that he is completing the project "Trang An History - From the first fire to the world cultural and natural heritages" with the aim of bringing an experience space, providing an overview for visitors about the development of humans from prehistoric times to the present, along with the relics, landscapes, and landmarks of Trang An and the connection of the relics throughout history to contribute to the construction and development of Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex. The project includes 3 main contents: Prehistoric Trang An people; Agricultural revolution in Trang An; Trang An today preserved and developed.

With the new project he is implementing, young artist Bui Van Tu hopes to contribute to creating more attractive destinations for tourists, thereby contributing to the sustainable preservation and maintenance of heritage.

Minh Hai-Anh Tuan

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