Detail View: SHIMMER: untitled

untitled

1972

1972

20th century

Sheffield, South Yorkshire

ENGLAND, UK

steel - painted

SCHOTTLANDER, Bernard

10-1805

Location: Next to the Crucible Theatre close to Norfolk Street. A Transport Interchange building now stands on this site. Description: A symmetrical composition is made of simple forms and looks naturally balanced, but the parts are actually bolted together. Weight: 8 tons. A plaque commemorating Henry Bessemer is placed inside. Commission: Stuyvesant City Sculpture Project. Temporarily installed in Sheffield for six months from May 8th 1972, under the terms of the Project the city had the option of purchasing the piece, but this was not taken up; it is now installed in Tel Aviv, Israel. Comment: Artist says shape and colour came from the idea of making a memorial to Bessemer. He had noticed that there was none in Sheffield. 'Although I make only large permanent sculpture, this is the first time I have been able to place a piece in a city centre for any length of time'. For whatever reason, the sculpture was one of the few Stuyvesant pieces that wasn't vandalised. For the opening, a baker baked a cake in the shape of the sculpture. Stuyvesant City Sculpture Project 1972: Eight cities participated in the Project whose aim was to extend the experience of art to a wider public by siting sculpture in urban spaces. A piece was sited in Sheffield, but for only a matter of months. This time limit followed the conditions of the Stuyvesant City Sculpture Project, for the commissioned works of art were only on loan or approval to the city in which they were produced. The cities had the option to purchase at the end of the exhibition period, Sheffield did not take up this opportunity. The artists, selected by competition, could nominate city and site. Bernard Schottlander chose Sheffield and some open land next to the Crucible Theatre. The artist says the Crucible Theatre's form was not considered in the design, but in photographs the sculpture looks surprisingly related. The piece was intended as homage to Bessemer and as such, the work would have been handsomely tied to Sheffield, but it is now in Tel Aviv, property of the Tel Aviv Museum. At the piece's opening a local baker made a cake in the shape of the piece. Another work, a nearly 20 ft. column of painted steel by Kenneth Martin, was produced for Sheffield as part of the same Project. It was sited on Arundel Gate. A third work by Nigel Hall never materialised. The Stuyvesant funding extended to only two projects and Hall' s proposal, 'Sky's Edge', which would have situated 7 light beams on the Hyde Park flats hill, was extremely innovative but problematic. The current view can be compared with this image here < http://shimmer.shu.ac.uk/luna/servlet/s/39q417 > .

© Sheffield Hallam University

For educational use only. This image may be used in print or digital materials provided that full acknowledgment is given, expressed as follows: " © < insert details from the 'Rights' field >. Photographed by < insert details from the 'Photographed by' field >."

Public art in Sheffield. For more information see < http://public-art.shu.ac.uk/sheffield/ >.

member of staff

SCHOTTLANDER, Bernard

1924

1999

Sculptor.

Male.

German.

Public art -- England -- Sheffield

Sculpture, Modern -- 1900-2000

Art, Abstract

Theatres -- England -- Sheffield