Henry Moore sculpture could be re-erected thanks to twenty first century science

A dismantled Henry Moore sculpture could be re-erected in Kensington Gardens, London, thanks to the latest rock engineering techniques, says a team of experts today <em>- News Release</em>

For Immediate Release
Tuesday 13 May 2008

A dismantled Henry Moore sculpture could be re-erected in Kensington Gardens, London, thanks to the latest rock engineering techniques, says a team of experts today.

The Arch, a sculpture dismantled 12 years ago due to safety concerns, could be re-erected at its original site on the banks of the Serpentine Lake following a project exploring the use of rock engineering techniques for cultural heritage conservation.

Engineers at Imperial College London, in collaboration with the International Drawing Institute, Glasgow School of Art, and Tate, carried out a detailed analysis of the Arch to see whether engineering computer simulation and analysis techniques could be used to understand and preserve complex artefacts which experience structural problems.

The Arch, a six metre tall sculpture modelled on sheep collar bones joined together, was created in 1980 by Henry Moore and was dismantled into its seven component pieces in 1996 because of structural instabilities which caused it to be unsafe.

In order to allow the sculpture to be preserved and resurrected, the team needed to find out why it was structurally unsound. By testing rock samples and using laser scanning technologies which examined the large dismantled stone blocks, they gathered data which was used to generate 3D computer simulations of the sculpture for analysis.

The Arch standing in Kensington Gardens in 1990

By modelling how the structural stresses exerted pressures on the Arch, researchers found that its unusual shape, the poor location of the structural joints which held the blocks together, and the use of brittle travertine stone all contributed to its unsteadiness.

Using this information, the team believes that it has devised a new method to allow the sculpture to be held together without compromising its structure. This includes attaching the rock legs and top section together with fibreglass bolts and dowels and placing the structure on a base of specially reinforced concrete.

Dr John Harrison from Imperial College London’s Department of Earth Science and Engineering said:

“Rock engineering techniques are usually used for stabilisation of tunnels and rock slopes, but the basic concepts of understanding how rock behaves when it is subjected to loads are immediately applicable to stone sculptures. We can now apply this knowledge to preserving some of the nation’s most important and historic artworks.”

Dr Angela Geary from the International Drawing Research Institute, The Glasgow School of Art, added:

“We were delighted when the Henry Moore Foundation invited us to study the Arch as a subject for our research. It was a huge practical challenge, but it was very exciting and motivating to be working on such a significant real-world problem.”

The blue and turquoise region in this Arch computer model show areas of high stress

Derek Pullen, Head of Sculpture Conservation at Tate, concluded:

“The outcome is a positive one for everyone involved, and our aim is now to expand across a wide range of artefacts from armoury to pottery and painting. Our methods could remove much of the guesswork from planning conservation treatment and could become an indispensable tool in the care of collections.”

The research was funded as part of the Finite Elements with Laser Scanning for mechanical analysis of Sculptural Objects (FELSSO) project by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the Henry Moore Foundation with assistance also from the Royal Parks. The team hopes to identify further sources of funding to resurrect the Arch in Kensington Gardens.

Photos of the Arch are available on request.

-Ends-

For further information please contact:

Colin Smith
Press Officer
Imperial College London
Email: cd.smith@imperial.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)207 594 6712
Out of hours duty press officer: +44 (0)7803 886 248

Sharon McHendry
Media Relations Officer
The Glasgow School of Art
Email: s.mchendry@gsa.ac.uk
T: +44 (0)141 353 4443
Out of hours (part-time) contact: +44 (0)7970 178643

Notes to editors:

1. About Imperial College London

Imperial College London - rated the world's fifth best university in the 2007 Times Higher Education Supplement University Rankings - is a science-based institution with a reputation for excellence in teaching and research that attracts 12,000 students and 6,000 staff of the highest international quality.

Innovative research at the College explores the interface between science, medicine, engineering and business, delivering practical solutions that improve quality of life and the environment - underpinned by a dynamic enterprise culture. Website: www.imperial.ac.uk

2 About Glasgow School of Art

Founded in 1845, The Glasgow School of Art is one of the oldest and few remaining independent Art Schools in the UK producing over 300 graduates each year.

The GSA is located in the centre of Glasgow - Scotland's largest city with a population of nearly 650,000 and one of Europe's most dynamic cultural cities.

The world famous ‘Mackintosh Building’ is at the heart of the GSA campus in Glasgow City Centre, while the Digital Design Studio is based in House for an Art Lover, a Mackintosh design building completed in 1996. The GSA was given Broad Confidence - the highest rating - by the QAA at its Institutional Review in 2005. Design Week Magazine ranked the GSA as one of the leaders in the field of design education in its HOT 50 list. We are ranked third in the UK in the Times Higher Education Supplement's 'Access Elite' Table (January 2002) based on ability to attract students from disadvantaged backgrounds, low drop out rates and excellence in teaching and research. Website: www.gsa.ac.uk

3. About the Henry Moore Foundation

The Henry Moore Foundation maintains the artist’s home, studios and grounds in Hertfordshire, as well as the world’s largest collection of Moore’s sculpture, drawings, graphics, textiles and tapestries. This collection is managed from Perry Green by the curatorial staff who are actively involved in the research, support and curating of Moore’s work worldwide.

4. Tate

Tate is a family of four art galleries, Tate Brita in, Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It houses the UK's collection of British art from 1500 and of international mode rn art including a major collection of works by Henry Moore. Tate shares a commitment with the Henry Moore Foundation to conserve and display the work of the best known British sculptor of the twentieth century.