21. Death of a moment: Management, Installation, and Maintenance of a Site-Specific Kinetic Sculpture

  • Eugenia Stamatopoulou

Abstract

Death of a moment (2007) is a kinetic, room-size installation created by the Swiss Neo-Dada artist Urs Fischer (b. 1973). The installation’s floor-to-ceiling mounted mirrors are set in motion by a hydraulic system, making the space appear to distort and fluctuate. Acquired by the Dakis Joannou Collection in 2007, it was installed as a permanent artwork at the DESTE Foundation in Athens, Greece. This project presented numerous challenges related to the artwork’s production and long-term presentation, including site obstruction, the availability of components, coordination with various specialists, and spatial planning. This paper discusses the solutions adopted by the Dakis Joannou Collection to install and maintain Death of a moment and to plan for its long-term preservation.

Born in Zurich, Urs Fischer (b. 1973) is a prominent contemporary artist who uses a wide variety of media and materials to create assemblages, paintings, digital montages, spatial installations, kinetic objects, and texts. Death of a moment (2007) is a site-specific installation consisting of a wall (13.5 × 3.2m) mounted with floor-to-ceiling mirrors (fig. 21.1). The mirrors perform a regular, barely noticeable tilting motion, which has a disturbing effect on spatial perception. Visitors and other artworks in the space are reflected, multiplied, and distorted, which, in conjunction with the motion of the mirrors, creates a sense of malaise.

Figure 21.1. Urs Fischer’s Death of a moment, 2007, on view in the exhibition Fractured Figure: Works from the Dakis Joannou Collection, 2008, at the DESTE Foundation, Athens, Greece. Mirrors, aluminum, hydraulics, and control unit. Dimensions variable. Mirrors tilt back and forth in a wavelike pattern. The Dakis Joannou Collection © Urs Fischer. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Zurich / Photo: Stefan Altenburger.

Description of the Work

The work has three primary components: an aluminum frame, eight tilting glass mirrors, and a hydraulic system. The movable aluminum frame is secured vertically to the floor and ceiling of the building. The mirrors are mounted vertically on the frame, and the frame is mounted on a secondary metallic structure with one arm at each corner. The arms are connected to a hydraulic system that makes them move up and down, pushing out and pulling in the mirrors. The hydraulic system is connected to an electric pump that provides the pressure for the arms to accomplish their movement.

Technical Information

For the installation of this site-specific kinetic work, several issues were taken into consideration, such as the building and floor load capacity, and much preparatory work was done, including the creation of an accurate layout by a geometrician.

Fischer approached the design company ACRUSH, based in Zurich, which specializes in the realization of ambitious artistic projects. The company works with several artists, often from the first stages of an artwork’s conceptualization through its realization and restoration. To realize the installation of Death of a moment, ACRUSH, in collaboration with Fischer, made various modifications to the site, such as the construction of a new, level ceiling, the consolidation of the metal beam of the concrete ceiling’s inner structure, and the installation of an ultrasound barrier at the front of the mirrors (for safety).

To cover the full 13.5m width of the wall with mirrors, the artist decided to use eight individual mirrors, each measuring 1.68 × 3.2m, and 7.5mm thick.

Each sheet of mirrored glass was secured to the top of the aluminum frame with a one-part compound MS-polymer glue specially made for mirrors (Polyflex 433 by GYSO). Each frame (3 × 390cm) was covered with lines of glue. The modified silicone polymers have high elasticity and polymerize quickly. The glue is suitable for linear bonded joints because the polymers are resistant to temperature fluctuations and humidity and are flexible (with a strength in excess of 1N/mm2 and an elongation at break of more than 150 percent). Also, because the glue has no solvent and isocyanides compounds, it should not affect or deteriorate the transparency of the mirror. The glue requires twenty-four hours to cure, but seventy-two hours are needed before setting the frame in motion. Stable temperature and relative humidity conditions (20–22oC and 50–55 percent RH) were necessary to cure the glue. The glue’s adhesive strength was further reinforced by the use of a self-adhesive double-face tape (GYSO-Mount 1500, 1.5mm).

Preservation and Long-Term Use

Death of a moment is set to move only when it is on view; however, because the work is part of several exhibition installations, it is on view almost permanently. At one point, however, a severe leak occurred in the central pump and subpumps because the artwork had been inactive for a long period. This caused the oil in the hoses to run back into the tank and the gaskets to dry. After checking the pressure in the pump and changing the gaskets, the work was operational again. In the future, regular inspection and maintenance has to be established, including cleaning and changing oil filters, cleaning the mechanical parts of the pump, and changing the oil.

Conclusion

The installation of a site-specific kinetic artwork presents a host of challenges and issues. The conservator has to communicate and collaborate with various experts to find the best suitable solution to each problem. The long-term preservation of this type of sculpture demands regular inspection and maintenance of all the elements (mirrors, glues, metallic structure, pumps, central unit, power, and so on) to keep it moving.