Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Spiral Nebula by Geoffrey Clarke, 1962 in front of the Herschel Building, University of Newcastle.
"Standing in front of the Herschel Building is an important post-war 20th century sculpture. Spiral Nebula by Geoffrey Clarke RA is a monumental and striking example of the artist’s work and one of few examples from this period sited in a public location in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Spiral Nebula was commissioned in 1962 by the architect, Sir Basil Spence, for the grounds of the Herschel building. Spence often worked collaboratively with Clarke, and Spiral Nebula compliments the building’s modernist architecture. On first view, the sculpture appears to be constructed out of wooden slats, however closer inspection reveals a steel structure with painted cast aluminium panels. Viewed in relation to the then new physics building’s use; the sculpture can be taken as a symbol of scientific advances in the 1960s. Yet, the sculpture caused a dispute between Clarke and Spence. It is understood Spence thought its waxed finish distracted attention from the building and a month after unveiling, the sculpture was flame blasted and painted grey.
Over the past 50 years, the sculpture’s surface and structural condition has inevitably degraded. As custodian of this innovative sculpture, the University embarked on conservation work to ensure it can be appreciated for many years to come. This will allow audiences to appreciate the original condition and concept of Clarke’s Spiral Nebula along with relocating it to an improved position within the Herschel quadrangle. Missing aluminium panels will be re-cast using Clarke’s lost polystyrene process and cleaning will remove the grey paint from the surface, restoring the sculpture to its former glory.
Spiral Nebula comprises a steel armature with aluminium cast from polystyrene which Clarke carved with a heated instrument. The polystyrene was packed into fine sand and vaporised as molten aluminium was poured in, hardening to take the same shape. This was an adaptation of the lost wax method with Clarke the first artist in the world to use it."
Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Spiral Nebula by Geoffrey Clarke, 1962 in front of the Herschel Building, University of Newcastle.
"Standing in front of the Herschel Building is an important post-war 20th century sculpture. Spiral Nebula by Geoffrey Clarke RA is a monumental and striking example of the artist’s work and one of few examples from this period sited in a public location in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Spiral Nebula was commissioned in 1962 by the architect, Sir Basil Spence, for the grounds of the Herschel building. Spence often worked collaboratively with Clarke, and Spiral Nebula compliments the building’s modernist architecture. On first view, the sculpture appears to be constructed out of wooden slats, however closer inspection reveals a steel structure with painted cast aluminium panels. Viewed in relation to the then new physics building’s use; the sculpture can be taken as a symbol of scientific advances in the 1960s. Yet, the sculpture caused a dispute between Clarke and Spence. It is understood Spence thought its waxed finish distracted attention from the building and a month after unveiling, the sculpture was flame blasted and painted grey.
Over the past 50 years, the sculpture’s surface and structural condition has inevitably degraded. As custodian of this innovative sculpture, the University embarked on conservation work to ensure it can be appreciated for many years to come. This will allow audiences to appreciate the original condition and concept of Clarke’s Spiral Nebula along with relocating it to an improved position within the Herschel quadrangle. Missing aluminium panels will be re-cast using Clarke’s lost polystyrene process and cleaning will remove the grey paint from the surface, restoring the sculpture to its former glory.
Spiral Nebula comprises a steel armature with aluminium cast from polystyrene which Clarke carved with a heated instrument. The polystyrene was packed into fine sand and vaporised as molten aluminium was poured in, hardening to take the same shape. This was an adaptation of the lost wax method with Clarke the first artist in the world to use it."