Paul Dibble SOUTHERN ARRIVALS
Public Artwork Commission: A Proposal for Emirates Arena and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, Glasgow
Southern Arrivals
A Corten and Bronze sculptural installation 2013
Sculptor: Paul Dibble In conjunction with Page Blackie Gallery, New Zealand
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Vision statement The Artist The Concept On-site visual concept The Artwork Initial 3D visualizations Siting and Installation Technical visualisations Estimation of cost Maintenance and durability Technical information Contact information
Southern Arrivals
An installation in Corten and bronze Sculptor Paul Dibble and the Dibble Art Company Ltd In association with Page Blackie Gallery, New Zealand
“Southern Arrivals deals with relocation; fluid bird forms perched on geometric stands represent migration, reconnecting one to another, across the Commonwealth.� Paul Dibble, 2013
The Artist Paul Dibble is a New Zealand-based bronze sculptor of international renown. The most notable of his international commissions is his monumental Southern Stand on Hyde Park Corner, London. Dibble trained at Elam School of Fine Arts in Auckland (1967). In 2004, he was the recipient of the New Zealand Order of Merit and in 2007, was granted an Honorary Doctorate by Massey University. Working predominantly in bronze for more than four decades, Dibble is well recognised as one of New Zealand’s foremost sculptors. His practice has dealt with a multitude of themes, ranging from native birds that have been hunted to extinction, through to the state of the oceanic ecosystem - all confirming his concerns around global sustainability and the repair of critically damaged environments. While this unease often manifests playfully in his work, the underlying seriousness of his messages have universal relevance. In November 2006 Dibble was commissioned by the New Zealand and British Governments to create a war memorial commemorating the relationship between the countries. The sculptural project that resulted, entitled Southern Stand, is situated in London’s Hyde Park Corner and was unveiled by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in November 2006 at a ceremony attended by the extended British Royal Family, Prime Ministers and dignitaries. The work consists of sixteen vertical patinated bronze ‘standards’ measuring up to five metres high and their surfaces are detailed with iconography pertaining to the two nations. Dibble owns and operates an independent studio foundry in Palmerston North, New Zealand. This unique situation in New Zealand enables Dibble to oversee the casting process from inception through to completion and therefore develop a work to its full conceptual and aesthetic potential. It also ensures quality control at all stages of the process. The 3000 square foot workshop allows him ample space to undertake major projects and his team, lead by his wife Fran Dibble, have exacting methods and a superior level of finish that have earned them an international reputation for excellence.
The Concept Abstracted sculptures representing geographically wide ranging species of birds is a concept that is easily accepted by a wide audience. Birds express a common element in people’s lives, all over the globe. Roosting at night and with the dawn chorus in the morning they are a link between mankind and the natural world, even in the most urban of centres. They frame the day’s beginning and end and welcome in the seasons with their nesting and migratory patterns. The symbolism will be poignant to travellers attending the Commonwealth Games, not only for the travel each visitor will have endured themselves, but for the kinetic allusion to the competitors in the Games, linking movement and speed. Ornithology universally draws attention to wider environment, the condition of which mankind must take great responsibility. In visions of ‘cleaning up’ or repairing any given ecosystem, birds reliably feature as the victims of pollution or contamination. Accordingly, healthy birdlife has come to symbolise regeneration of an area. Situating this sculptural installation within Glasgow’s regeneration area will signify both to the local community and to the wider Commonwealth, the great new life being breathed into an area historically known for difficult socio-economic living conditions. In the birdlife depicted birds would be selected from a variety of places in the world and from various habitats, some water based (a swan is one representation that could be included), others from forest homes. Sizing and scale is also ignored with small birds created in similar size to other larger species. This happily parallels the Games, with competitors ranging in size, but projections of their own abilities being equally lofty. The birds would not be wholly literal in their depiction; rather they would be abstracted, blended into aesthetic forms. The soft moulded folds of the bronze in birds will create a stunning visual contrast against the fabricated squares and rectangles of the Corten. Birds travel huge distances in their migratory patterns so are a fitting emblem of travellers making their way across the globe to distant lands. Two of the birds would probably be represented by the godwits – a species that makes the journey in great numbers from New Zealand, the artist’s homeland, to northern Europe. Dibble’s Southern Arrivals will represent worldwide species, from the southern-most part of the Commonwealth, to the City of Glasgow.
The Artwork Southern Arrivals, as proposed for Glasgow will consist of a series of bronze birds supported on Corten steel frames. The sculptures will be modelled and cast in bronze in sensual, curved forms, then richly patinated in expressive golds, browns and blacks. In contrast, the Corten would be fabricated, cut and welded in joined strips. The steel would be allowed to naturally oxidise, to produce a flat red-brown surface. The birds will demonstrate the notion of travelling and settling through two distinct groupings. The first will feature a cluster of perching birds, in a range of ‘species’ and forms, which would be seated on the Corten stands. The other, represented by a pair, will be flying birds which would be suspended on long Corten stakes. Overall heights would be approximately 5 metres. The number of forms and the arrangement of the installations will be dependent on a site being selected by VELOCITY and the artist. ArchiCAD installation images of installation inserted into civic square format are included following, to demonstrate relationship to environment and options for arrangement.
Initial 3D visualations
Siting and installation For this proposal we have supplied mock up images of a sequential assemblage of the bronze and Corten sculptures suitable for the Commonwealth Avenue route. But if a site were to be chosen that were wider, a civic square for example, the sculptures could be arranged in clusters. Each option will allow people to interact with the artwork at close quarters, observing and touching the surfaces. There is potential for lighting to be set in on the Corten stands casting shadows and activating the area. This could illuminate areas for people to move through safely at night and further draw interest to the artwork (and area) in darkness.
Technical visualisations
Estimation of cost Until site and design are finalised, cost estimates are difficult. A broad estimation of the cost of making the bronze and Corten structures and delivering them to the site would be in the region of ₤55,000 per bird (at current currency exchange rate). There may be additional costs, if lighting (either within the Corten stands or lighting on the works themselves) is required.
Maintenance and durability Detailed maintenance instructions are included in the appendix, but maintenance is not arduous, only requiring a wax and clean annually. Corten is a very strong material, used industrially for structures such as shipping containers. The rust surface, which gives it the distinctive and interesting red brown colouring, is a coating that once formed remains fixed, different to mild steel. The amount of time it takes to rust is reported at between 5 – 10 mm per 100 years depending on the environment (sea air with salt spray is the most difficult causing increased disintegration). Bronze as a material can potentially survive for many hundreds of years.
Technical information Furrane sand casting Sand casting is used for larger, flatter sections that can be drawn out of a sand refractory. The sand is mixed with chemicals that make it set, and is packed on the patterns that have been boxed with timber framing. The molds are inverted and the reverse side is completed the same way. The pattern is then removed and holes are drilled into the sand molds to allow the bronze to be poured into the molds that are clamped together. Lost Wax ceramic shelling This method is used for ‘in the round’ shapes with high detail. All positives are made in wax and then attached to a cup with ‘runners’ and ‘risers’. The structure is coated with multiple coats of ceramic shell applied by dipping it in a slurry and applying molochite as a stucco. The shells are left to dry between coats and when thick enough the wax is burnt out and more coats of shell are added. Pouring Bronze is heated to around 1200 degrees in a crucible. A tip-furnace allows the bronze to be poured into prepared molds. Finishing Poured pieces, once cooled, are hammered out of their molds, sandblasted, have their runners removed and are assembled by welding with further chasing of all seams. They are then fettled until the surface is uniform. Chemicals are applied to patina (colour) the bronze – a variety of different finishes can be achieved, ranging from dark browns and blacks through to forest greens and burnished gold. Finally, the work is waxed and polished and in some instances lacquered, to achieve a higher sheen. Durability Bronze is extremely durable in an outdoor environment. Used commonly in sculpture for centuries, the medium has been prevalent due to its lack of susceptibility to change, even in harsh conditions. Dibble’s bronzes are protected by a wax coating, which is easily maintained. Equally Corten steel naturally oxides to a rich, red/brown colour and then arrests, deteriorating thenceforth at an extremely slow rate, as already outlined.
Maintenance of Bronze Sculptures Bronze with Corten Bronze is an enduring medium and will last forever but to keep the patina (chemical colouring) intact, the wax coating covering the sculpture must be maintained. Unwaxed or untreated bronze will eventually turn a chalky green colour due to reaction of the copper in the alloy with the atmosphere. Mostly Dibble bronzes after patination are waxed or lacquered and waxed. Aesthetically wax is used to take some of the ‘shine’ off the lacquer so it isn’t too glossy and it acts in part as a glaze giving an even covering. The wax is also important for practical reasons as it further protects the bronze from oxidisation by air altering the patina. This is a common method for fixing patinas as it is very durable. It also gives the bronzes a nice shine when polished or buffed. The wax that can be used is any sort of soft furniture wax. These are usually based on beeswax and can be easily applied with a soft cloth. Briwax is a brand that can be readily purchased in hardware stores and antique furniture stores. It is available in a number of different stain colours. If your bronze artwork is either green or more golden use the clear wax, if it is black use Jacobean stain. It is recommended for outdoor sculptures that the wax coating be maintained yearly by: 1. 2. 3.
Cleaning the sculpture with detergent and water. Hosing off may be required. When dry apply wax with a soft cloth. Do not put the wax on too thickly - it is better to put on thin coats over a period of time. Leave wax to harden for a few hours, then polish with a soft cloth and possibly a shoe-cleaning soft brush.
For indoor works this is not required nearly so often. Continued polishing of waxed bronzes will enhance the surface over time giving them lustre. It is also needed for protecting the colouring.
Works with Corten Steel Many of Paul Dibbles more recent sculptures combine the use of bronze with Corten steel. Corten is a special variety of steel that forms a rust coating and then doesn’t oxidise further. For this reason it is far more durable than other steels. Its rate of decay is averaged at around 1-2 mm per 100 years depending on conditions. There is no maintenance care that needs to be done on Corten, if there is dirt or bird droppings it can be washed off with detergent and water but avoid scratching the surface with sharp objects. The bronze and steel in combination must be separated to avoid an electrolytic reaction. A separating surface of some kind (cork or rubber) is used to keep the two materials apart and this should never be removed. - Paul Dibble
Contact information James Blackie Page Blackie Gallery M. +6421 549 669 E. james@pageblackiegallery.co.nz 42 Victoria Street, Wellington 6011 New Zealand