Art Square and Neighborhood
Layla Juma A. RASHID
In front of Towada Municipal Central Hospital stands the artwork Worms-A, consisting of colorful benches curved like snakes.
The word “worm” has multiple meanings. One is a creature with a long soft body and no legs. Another is a self-replicating computer program that prevents a computer from operating correctly. So, why is an art bench named for a small invertebrate, and shaped like one?
Kanchogai Avenue has many art benches apart from Worms-A, all available for seating. While the benches are important as artworks, they also need to complement their surroundings, in their role as part of what makes up the city of Towada. If they were not seen as benches, nobody would sit on them. The question is how to make art blend into the city, and one answer, from Layla Juma A. Rashid, is to make a piece of art look like it is everywhere. Her idea is not only to make an artwork but also to make people believe that the work is naturally all around them. Her intention in naming the work Worms-A was to diminish the dignified nature that the word “art” itself, allowing the piece to integrate seamlessly into the cityscape, and Worms-A is a wonderful artwork that achieves just that.
Photo: Oyamada Kuniya
Layla Juma A. RASHID
Born 1977, and currently based, in Sharjah, UAE. Rashid employs repetitive, geometric shapes to create rhythmic sequences and forms. In her cross-disciplinary work, these shapes and rhythms are crafted to conceptually articulate social codes and identities. Her works have been presented internationally in exhibitions including Singapore Biennale 2008, “MinD” at DUCTAC’s Gallery of Light (Dubai, UAE, 2012), and “Emirati Expressions III: Realised” at Manarat Al Saadiyat (Abu Dhabi, UAE, 2014).
2010
Stainless steel
420×100×50 cm
