China | 26.08.11
Polishing
How many people does it take to polish 2 huge blocks of marble? A far as my sculpture Cloudstone is concerned it took 3 days starting with 2 people and ending up with 7. It seemed to me that the workers showed little regard for going through the grades from coarse to fine but somehow […]
Read moreChina | 15.08.11
Walk in the park
The sculpture Cloudstone was uplifted about 5 this morning while I slept and will be assembled along with the other sculptures in stone, metal and fibre-glass in the northern park. The park has been developed over the past 18 months or so. The sculptors whose work will be cast in bronze have been busy painting […]
Read moreChina | 15.08.11
Transporting
Today I had a visit from the guy who manages the work site. He informed me that in 2 days time my sculpture, along with others, will be transported to the grassy slopes of the northern sculpture park where it will be assembled. I can do some work on the stones at the new site […]
Read moreChina | 10.08.11
Rain interrupts play
Changchun is green because it rains a lot, mostly at night.But today it rained very hard so we sculptors returned to our hotel mid afternoon. The rain did not result in flash flooding and the day ended with clear skies. The rain revealed the depth of colour in the red marble stone on which I […]
Read moreChina | 08.08.11
Working the stone
The artisans have spent the past 2 weeks working on the two massive blocks of red marble. Now it is my turn to examine the work, make corrections where necessary and finish the work. I relished the opportunity over he past few days of working on the stones with my angle grinder. I caused a […]
Read moreChina | 01.08.11
Together again
My two blocks of marble are back together again. Many days ago the blocks were place one on top of the other so the overall form of the sculpture could be established. The blocks were then separated and carved while sitting on the ground, using angle grinders with diamond blade cutting discs, hammers and chisels. […]
Read moreChina | 28.07.11
Hands off
Given the scale of the blocks of stone we sculptors are dealing with the organisers of the Symposium enlisted the assistance of artisans with experience working with stone. I have been supplied with 2 large block of ‘red’ marble (apparently not as hard as the white marble) and 2 assistants. The work undertaken was to […]
Read moreChina | 26.07.11
Getting it together
Today’s the day the 2 marble blocks came together albeit briefly so I could draw the overall shape of the sculpture. This is trickier than it seems as the stones are still rough with little hope of drawing a straight line. The artisans use an inked string which they pull taught over the stone face […]
Read moreChina | 25.07.11
Shandong
It seems that many of the stones the sculptors are working on have been sourced from Shandong, a city south of Beijing. And the three artisans that have recently been assigned to work on my ‘red’ marble’ are also from Shandong. They are familiar with the characteristics of the stone and work it most efficiently. […]
Read moreChina | 22.07.11
Gathering pace
Changchun experienced a rainstorm last night which turned part of the work site into a mini lake. I noticed a pair of hands (discarded rubber gloves) in prayer position emerging out of the sodden ground,no doubt praying for the sun to shine again! After many days of inactivity waiting for the stones to arrive the […]
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