ARTSECO – Richard Serra installation:
When Galerie Nordenhake asked us if we could help with the installation of this Richard Serra work, we had to think twice about it. Richard Serra is known for his steel forms, which nevertheless express a certain lightness. However, the production and installation of these colossi brings the brutal physical challenge to light. The work consists of two massive steel plates (150 x 150 x 5 cm), each weighing 900 kg. The plates stand edge to edge on top of each other, so that the upper plate is only half on top of the other.
The top panel is positioned in the corner of a room, giving it stability. The weight of both panels also keeps the lower panel stable.
The challenge of the installation lay in the fact that it was not possible to drive into the rooms with a conventional crane. That would have been easy. The panels had to be transported horizontally in an elevator that was too narrow and had a weight limit so that neither both panels could be transported at the same time nor could a heavy crane be used to lift them up.
You can’t use a gantry crane to position the slabs on top of each other either, as you can’t get into the corner enough with these mobile beam gantry cranes.
So you need a crane with a jib that is small enough to fit through a narrow door but can hold enough weight to lift 1 tonne 2m high and can still be steered flexibly. After all, you have to be able to position the steel plate on the other plate with millimeter precision.
In collaboration with our technicians/art handlers, we tried to visually visualize the installation and the local conditions. We were able to find the right crane that, with a few modifications, was perfect for the job.
In the end, everything worked perfectly according to our ideas in advance and a few spontaneous changes. The most important thing is that our customer is satisfied and the art is where it should be. You can now view the work at Galerie Nordenhake in Berlin Mitte until the end of August 2020.
https://nordenhake.com/exhibitions/2020/orthodox-abstraction
Richard Serra, Step-Up, 1988, hot rolled steel, Overall dimensions 300 x 225 x 5 cm
Berlin , June 27, 2020 – August 29, 2020
From August 4-29 , 2020 by appointment ( Tel.: +49 (0) 176 188 666 80 )
