March 23, 2016
International artist's sculpture to be installed at Pao Hall
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Danish artist Nina Hole is best known for her Fire Sculptures, monumental ceramic structures built and fired on location. The process of creating each sculpture is laborious and relies on the help of a team of assistants. After multiple weeks of building, the sculptures are fired during a multi-day burn. (Photo courtesy Purdue University Galleries) |
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Ceramic artist Nina Hole's final Fire Sculpture will be constructed outside Yue-Kong Pao Hall on the Purdue University campus.
The project started Tuesday (March 22) and will continue daily until April 14. The life-size clay structure will then be fired in place over 60 hours between April 14-16. Hole passed away in February of this year. The Purdue commission is her final design.
"Nina created large-scale sculptures internationally for over 20 years," said Sigrid Zahner, associate professor of fine arts in the Patti and Rusty Rueff School of Visual and Performing Arts. "She perfected a spectacular outdoor firing technique that allowed her to transform raw clay into a finished piece entirely in place. The site-specific monumental sculpture will attract the campus community to Pao Hall over the next month, including the opportunity to witness the firing. It is an experience like no other."
Hole, a Denmark-based artist, created similar art installations internationally, including Germany, Japan, Turkey, Brazil, Wales, Mexico, Hungary, Denmark, Greece, Taiwan, Australia, Canada, and the United States. In the U.S., she served residencies in Minnesota and North Carolina.
The Florence H. Lonsford committee organized and provided funding for Hole's commission. Hole's assistants, Craig Hartenberger and Renata Cassiano, will work with Purdue student volunteers to build and then wrap the sculpture with an insulating blanket prior to the firing. The firing will utilize seasoned split cedar inserted through ports at the base of the sculpture and into the center of the sculpture. The fire is contained inside the sculpture. At the completion of the firing period, the blanket is removed, salt and sawdust is thrown onto the surface and the cooling process begins and the piece is complete.
An unveiling is scheduled for approximately 9:30 p.m. April 16.
Artists will be erecting the sculpture until 6 p.m. daily, and spectators are welcome to watch. Street parking with two-hour limits is available around Pao Hall, and campus lots near the hall require parking stickers until 5 p.m., but not between 5-6 p.m.
Writer: John Hughey, 765-494-2432, hugheyj@purdue.edu
Contact: Liz Erlewine, Gallery coordinator, Patti and Rusty Rueff Galleries, 765-496-2958, eerlewin@purdue.edu
