Cover of the Book: Gathering Dreams-Collection for 100 Beijing Olympic Sculptures [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com]

The 29th Beijing Olympic Games was a complete success. China fulfilled its commitment to the world by holding a high-level memorable event. And city sculpture played an important role on the Olympic platform. Recently a collection of 100 Beijing Olympic sculptures was made into a book.

Early in 2005, an international sculpture and public art event entitled "100 Olympic Sculptures" was jointly held by the Beijing municipal government, the Beijing City Sculpture Construct & Supervise Office and the China Sculpture Institute. Artists from all over the world were invited to submit their sculptures to be displayed in the Beijing Olympics.

The event brought together 100 pieces by sculptors from 24 countries. Among them, 65 pieces can still be found in the central area of the Olympic Park, and others in areas such as National Centre for the Performing Arts and Chaoyang Park.

The newly issued books are divided into two parts. The first half is the collection, which gathers pictures of the 100 sculptures. And the other half is the documentary, which records the process of the project such as collection, inspection and site selection, as well as the fabrication and installation of the pieces. Artists from different countries then came together to discuss issues of city sculpture and public art creation.

Zeng Chenggang, President of China Sculpture Institute, says the book itself is also part of the "100 Olympic Sculptures" project.

"To memorize the process of the project, we decided to publish such a book. The book encompasses our passion and strength. We formed an editorial committee and held seminars about the sculptures. The activities were aimed at making the project more academic."