\n Plus, another significant symbol of this ever-welcomed season is the bunny rabbit.\n<\/p>\n
\n With spring well and truly in the air, it is the season of not knowing what coat to wear, bunches of daffodils filling window frames, and hot cross buns a constant in many shopping baskets.\n<\/p>\n
\n At long last.\n<\/p>\n
\n The grounds of the University of East Anglia (UEA), within which the Sainsbury Centre Sculpture Park sits, is home to the longest studied rabbit colony.\n<\/p>\n
\n One very special rabbit who sits at home in the grounds of the Sainsbury Centre Sculpture Park and whose season is just beginning, is artist Leiko Ikemura\u2019s sculpture Usagi Kannon.\n<\/p>\n
\n Usagi Kannon, which translates as \u2018Rabbit Bodhisattva of Mercy\u2019, is a towering figure with rabbit ears and a human face.\n<\/p>\n
\n A recurrent and significant motif in Ikemura\u2019s work, the rabbit represents rebirth, fertility, and renewal.\n<\/p>\n
\n At 3.4m tall and dazzling within the landscape, Usagi Kannon is certainly well-loved.\n<\/p>\n
\n From the children who run in and out of her skirt, to the dog walkers who say hello to her every day, she has a sort of magic to her.\n<\/p>\n
\n Those with a keen eye will notice that she changed her dress to gold in the last few years, as a different iteration of the sculpture took up home in the patinated bronze\u2019s place.\n<\/p>\n
\n This ethereal sculpture gives lots of joy to those visiting the Sculpture Park, but it is important to remember that the rabbit is also an important reminder of a moment in history.\n<\/p>\n
\n This hybrid character was first created in 2011 in response to the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan and the subsequent reported birth defects in animals.\n<\/p>\n
\n With a crying face in mourning, the artwork is dedicated to the people and living beings who died and suffered losses in the tragedy.\n<\/p>\n
\n Usagi Kannon offers shelter through their bell-shaped skirt, acting as a protective shrine.\n<\/p>\n
\n Once inside, the small holes in the skirt shed star-like rays of light creating an encompassing universe around the viewer.\n<\/p>\n
\n With both a sadness and kindness about her, she is a peaceful figure set nestled amongst the tranquil landscape.\n<\/p>\n
\n There is a sort of quiet about her, an empathy which cannot be described.\n<\/p>\n
\n With the skirt only big enough for young children and animals to fit inside and enjoy, there is a feeling that this is a protected place of innocence and joy, filtering any harsh natures of the outside world.\n<\/p>\n
\n Every child I have seen to enjoy this element of the sculpture is filled with joy and excitement at being able to step inside \u2013 inside where their human guardian cannot fit, a place especially for them.\n<\/p>\n
\n As the infamous rabbit colony of the UEA dance around, at home here when the humans have left, I like to think of them dancing and playing together, with Usagi Kannon watching over protectively, joyful from afar.\n<\/p>\n
\n World Art Day was established in 2019 at the UNESCO\u2019s General Conference.\n<\/p>\n
\n It is a celebration to promote the development, diffusion, and enjoyment of art.\n<\/p>\n
\n This World Art Day on April 15, why not come and say hello to Usagi Kannon and dance with the rabbits to welcome in spring.\n<\/p>\n
\n The Sainsbury Centre Sculpture Park is open in daylight hours.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Plus, another significant symbol of this ever-welcomed season is the bunny rabbit. With spring well and truly in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":377961,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[307,304,305,306,308,93,61,60],"class_list":{"0":"post-377960","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-artsdesign","12":"tag-design","13":"tag-entertainment","14":"tag-ie","15":"tag-ireland"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377960","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=377960"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377960\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/377961"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=377960"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=377960"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=377960"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}