Issues in Caring for Contemporary Stone Art
This year, the beautiful waterfront walkway in Ngamotu New Plymouth, was again host to the Te Kuenga Stone Sculpture Society Symposium. It was a good reminder of the factors that influence stone preservation.
Artists from all over the world carved beautiful creations from local stone and, of course, being a cultural materials conservator, those skills forever ruined the way I look at art! I was trained to spot the areas where deterioration can be predicted to occur in order to provide the best possible preservation conditions. While you may think stone is impervious to most damage, it can be surprisingly susceptible to changes.
The stone material is from a local Taranaki quarry. The international artists got to choose their rock first. Once you finished with your piece, you could choose the second one to carve.
For some, it was the striking designs that stood out, and for others, it was natural to want to touch them. There is the first challenge!
In this blog, I mention some of the challenges that can be faced with caring for sculptures such as these in public spaces or private places:
#1 Undesirable touching
We loved this sculpture 'Pai' by Bodhi Vincent (New Zealand). The realistic textures of the figures, hair and shawl combined with the softness of her skin, begged you to touch her. She was at the perfect height for little people to explore as well. With little people comes sticky hands. Who are we kidding? We all have sticky hands (at least in the conservation world!). One of the artists present, Jocelyn Pratt, was describing how she had come prepared for the public showings by coating her sculpture (more on that below) to prevent discolouration from sunscreen.
#2 Composite joins
This fascinating sculpture (whose title I unfortunately did not catch), was another fun celebration of a female figure. The bird stands out with its white marble colour. So many great textures! At first glance, you probably didn't even notice how the bird was attached, but a closer look reveals... a metal dowel held in place with epoxy.
Many of these epoxies are pretty resilient to our New Zealand conditions of harsh UV light and salt spray, but over time, they do break down. How else are you supposed to join pieces together though?
#3 Desirable touching
It wasn't until I saw someone approach 'Share Happiness 2023' by Hiroyuki Asakawa (Japan), that I realised it was an interactive artwork. Coupled with my training to notice the finer details in a material is my training to not touch an artwork unless necessary (you know, minimal intervention and all). This sculpture brought so much happiness, as promised, to the viewers, young and older. It was the perfect height for those in wheelchairs to access as well, and drew smiles from everyone.
In this piece, the artist expertly designed a marble run to ensure the troughs were the perfect size and length. Everything was symmetrical. Even the sound the marbles made running over the stone surface was calming and soothing. In Ngamotu New Plymouth we are no stranger to kinetic sculpture though, having one of the largest and finest collections from artist Len Lye at the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery Len Lye Centre. In addition to the desirable touching concerns of staining to the stone from sunscreen and oils from hands, there was the fact that
#4 Stability of the base
Particularly for the 'Share Happiness 2023' artwork above, it is critical for some stone sculptures to have solid and level foundations. In order for 'Share Happiness 2023' to function as intended and to truly appreciate the beautiful symmetry of the stone carving, it must remain perfectly level. For those artworks with less...momentum, if there is not a solid, stable base, it will slump into any soft ground over time, risking damage from falling.
#5 Protective coatings
The gorgeous smooth finishes used for some of the sculpture are not easily accomplished. It can take an artist hours on an electric sander and polisher to achieve the desired look (not going to lie, I had not appreciated there was a 3,000 grit sandpaper). I caught up with Jocelyn Pratt (New Zealand) coating her artwork, 'Sit With Me'. This was not Jocelyn's first rodeo, and she carefully added just a few more layers of sealer as she muttered the word sunscreen.
Jocelyn was applying a coat of Enrich'N'Seal to prevent the stone from absorbing residues. Several coatings can last up to 15 years (according to the manufacturer's website). This is also a good technique to prevent lichen buildup. We also chatted about cleaning gravestones and memorials with pressure washers (don't do it!).
Overall, it was a gorgeous day for the public to appreciate the beauty of modern stone art and for this conservator to chat with the artists about the ways they create and care for their sculptures, a rare opportunity indeed!
