Ekkehard Altenburger submission

Deptford Park Sculpture Proposal

I am delighted to have been given the chance to put forward a proposal for a site-specific sculpture in Deptford Park.

I have lived and worked in the borough of Lewisham for over ten years and am pleased to have the opportunity to suggest an artwork for a local park I am familiar with.

Deptford has historically always been a place of production, manufacturing and innovation. Its favourable position along the river Thames provided Deptford with a steep shore for larger vessels to land, initially surrounded by marshland, it soon became a place where “things were produced”.

From shipbuilding to manufacturing and in more recent years to the production of art and culture, Deptford always had an entrepreneurial spirit and this has led to many different and diverse items being produced here over the centuries.

This tradition of using ones ingenuity, craft and skill was the main inspiration for the design of my sculpture proposal. I wanted the work to represent those people who, for generations have lived and worked in the area and subsequently used the areas green parks for recreation and leisure.

HEPHAESTUS
The Ancient Greek deity, son of Zeus and Hera. (See appendix) Artisan, inventor and “maker of things” , Hephaestus seemed to be the obvious choice for a title for this sculpture, as this mythical Greek deity so much represents what Deptford and its people past and present represent.

The sculpture first and foremost needed a strong physical presence in the avenue / entrance to the park but must be sensitive enough not to overwhelm the space.

I believe scale is absolutely vital to this project; the work has to be of “human scale”, something that is part of us rather than an object to be looked at. Parks are places where people physically engage with their surroundings, and the sculpture with its tactile surface invites visitors to the park to physically engage with their surroundings.

The sculpture / fountain that initially stood at this place fulfilled this aim and my sculpture can both provide a bridge into the physical world as well as a signifier to a park (and an area) that has long been neglected.

The sculpture needed a “man made look”; it should be clear from the start that this work has been made through a sophisticated engineering process. Hence I decided to “create a block from scratch”, which means the initial carving block is produced in stacking (using epoxy resin) up layers of 2 different kinds of granite, a silver grey granite and a black granite. This “stacked up block” will provide the carving source, carving itself is still a “hands on” process, combining the two will manifest itself in a beautiful sculpture that somewhat captures the spirit of this area.
The sculpture will have a very smooth surface (honed) with its edges slightly rounded it will inevitably invite people to touch and interact with it. The work is set “off centre” to the plinth, which can be used as a seating area too.

Reference: Henry Moore Recumbent Figure
3 layers of Green Hornton Stone 1938

For the first time, I decided to use a base as an integral part of the sculpture, here, I use silver grey granite with a flamed surface and strongly rounded edges to give the circular base a “boulder in a stream” like character.

The sculpture in total should have an approximate height of about 2.1 meters (ca. 7ft); anything larger will be overwhelming and intrusive to the nature of the park.

HEPHAESTUS will give the site a significant sculptural element and a physical point that will leave a legacy for Deptford Park but furthermore will leave a timeless work of art that will become a significant feature that represents the inherent characteristics of this site and its people.

Technical details and schedule
Over the past decade I have produced many private and public artworks on similar or larger scale. As for the foundations, the existing plinth will not be safe to use and at this stage I suggest a 2-strip foundation to support the base. I estimate the total weight of sculpture and base to be in the area of 4.5 tons. Fixings will be in stainless steel; all resins used are UV resistant.

Both granites that I propose to use are of excellent quality and have been used widely in all aspects of the building industry as well as a popular sculptural material. Over the past few years I have established good working relationships with quarries/ supplier and work could start immediately once contracts have been agreed.

Assembly and rough pre-cutting will be executed in the granite factory in Portugal; the actual carving of the sculpture will be done in my studio at APT. I estimate the production time to be around 3 months.

The implementation of the foundations will run parallel to the production of the sculpture. As stated above, I have established good working relations with concrete manufacturers, haulage companies and structural engineers if needed.

Maintenance
Granite is an extremely durable and hardwearing material that can withstand pretty much anything. The surface will hardly weather and in the unfortunate case of vandalism, very robust cleaning procedures can be applied. The sculpture itself is maintenance free.

Appendix
Constructions
Hephaestus made some extraordinary constructions. He gave King Aeetes the brazen-footed
bulls that puffed fire from their mouths. He also wrought the famous Neclace of Harmonia and
he made a bed forged of gold, in which Helius (the Sun) is carried in sleep. Hephaestus also
constructed Oenopion’s underground house; and when Heracles 1did not know how to drive
the Stymphalian Birds from the wood, Athena gave him brazen castanets to scare them with,
which she had received from Hephaestus.

Remarkable objects
Hephaestus also made a sceptre for Zeus , others have shown bowls, and chests, falsified
necklaces, and even temples, saying that Hephaestus had created them. But Hephaestus gave a golden breastplate to Heracles, and he also made Archilles’ new armour, when he laid aside his wrath and decided to return to the fight at Troy. When Archilles killed Asteropaeus, grandson of the river Axius, the river god rushed at him but Hephaestus dried up his streams with a powerful flame.

Ekkehard Altenburger, June 2008