In order to preserve this I researched different automotive coatings specifically designed for steel. I eventually settled on a fixing agent to preserve the existing rust, then applied two layers of premium acrylic clearcoat to retain the brightness of the polished surface.
The finished sculpture weighed over 300kg so I had to engineer a solid solution to wall mount it. I chose oversized yacht rigging strops, which could easily support several times the weight of the sculpture and were visually proportioned relative to the piece.
I bribed half a dozen friends with a variety of drinks to help me to manhandle the piece into place.
This metal sculpture is a beautiful accident; industrial processes have resulted in an organic-looking surface with a movement that brings to mind butterfly wings or blades of grass in a breeze.
Like the home it now sits in, this piece has a history and is the encapsulation of a lot of hard work.
random imprints
2008
1490mm x 1750mm
Polished steel with acrylic lacquer suspended by stainless steel rigging strops
I began to sand and polish the surface of the steel to see what was underneath. It was like an archaeological process of discovery as a pattern started to emerge.
As the polishing progressed the contrast between the marks and the areas of unblemished steel surface were highlighted. It was a document of years of labour; hammering, welding and grinding, yet the result was delicate and had flow.
My studio space in Camperdown had once been a steel fabrication workshop. It had a really industrial feel with burn marks on the floors, piles of scrap and in one dark corner, a former welding bench top propped against a wall.
I knew that this huge, heavy slab of steel was something I wanted to work with despite its years of abuse and layers of rust.
