Porsche has teamed up with the Aranya Theatre Festival in northern China to bring together an immersive and sustainable arts experience that portrays the spirit and power of dreams. The festival, which began at the weekend, is being staged in the seaside art community of Aranya, in Hebei Province, and is themed around ‘Immense Howls and Gentle Whispers’. As well as dramatic performances scattered across a number of theatres, the festival features the ’The Art of Dreams’ series. Initiated by Porsche, this global series of experiences in art and design aims to bring together pioneering creators from different fields to interpret the diverse charms of dreams.
“A ‘dream’ marked the starting point of Porsche’s 75-year journey, becoming both the driving force that has led us forward and the consensus of faith that has united countless dreamers,” explains Michael Kirsch, President and CEO of Porsche China. “This partnership between Porsche and the Aranya Theatre Festival is a further exploration of how we bring our journey of dreams into the art world, and open up new possibilities for people to connect with each other and brighten each other’s lives.”
Installations celebrate 75 years of Porsche sports cars
‘Dream in Motion’, a new sculpture created by artist Chris Labrooy, is among the installations. It captures the vibrant energy of the Porsche Taycan as it ‘races’ across the Aranya waterfront, using colourful geometric shapes to artistically express the rising sand and dust, and transporting viewers into a world of fantasy versus reality.
‘Dream Bold’, meanwhile, is a reinterpretation of the classic Porsche 934, and marks the first time that the artist Benedict Radcliffe has used hollow tubes as his key material. The minimalist lines of his piece are said to represent a visual landscape of great tension which stimulates a strong resonance for dreams within people.
The joint ‘Dream On’ and ‘Dream Capsule’ installation celebrates 75 years of Porsche sports cars, with the former being a scroll featuring Ferry Porsche’s blueprint of the first car to bear the Porsche brand name – the 356 ‘No. 1’ Roadster – and the words “Those lucky enough to build a business out of a dream owe it to the world to be the caretakers of dreams”. The scroll is encased in a drifting bottle – the ‘Dream Capsule’ – which symbolises the transformative journey of fulfilling one’s dreams, having ‘washed up’ on the coast of Aranya. The Taycan wrapped within the scroll illustrates how Porsche interprets the sports car dream of Ferry Porsche in a completely different and modern way.
Artists joined a Seaside Dialogue
Over the weekend, two artists joined a Seaside Dialogue centring on Tradition & Disruption – Dream·Art·Colour, while a separate conversation between Kirsch, Sheng Tantzscher (Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Porsche China), Ma Yin (the founder of Aranya) and Liu Chang (the festival’s artistic curator) delved into the worlds of theatre, art and the ups and downs of pursuing dreams.
Looking back on Porsche’s 75 years, the brand has a solid foundation built on the dream of Ferry Porsche, and it continuously leverages heritage and innovation to break through its boundaries. Porsche also regards passion for life and art as anchors that connect like-minded people and those who dare to follow their dreams. Dreamers like all those inspired by the Aranya Theatre Festival.