In early summer 2010, Jan and his brother Wim, as well as some other artists, were asked to submit a project for a piece of art that should be placed at the entrance of the thoroughly newly refurbished Old People's Home here in GENDT. The project of the two brothers was chosen.
Here are pictures of the whole process of the making of the piece.
So much handier with four hands!
Branches of hazelnut tree were used, for their pliability.
The nest is made!
In the nest are added symbols related to Gendt: St Joseph, patron of the Old People's Home, A goose, symbol of Gendt, Cherries, as we live in a production area and have a the Cherries Kermess at the end of June, A Snail, who carries his house with him, and many more you can see when you come to Gendt!
The nest was brought to the Art Foundry BOGART in Druten, where exceptionnally talented people immediately started:
After having put pipes made of wax at strategic points to allow the melted bronze to flow every where, then plastic tubes for the air to be able to get out and not block the bronze with air pockets, they started to build the mould.
Finally, 3 fennels were put at the end of the main wax tubes, where the bronze will be poured.
The mould weights 1500 kilos! Now it is ready to go into the oven so the branches burn, the wax mets, in order to create space where the bronze will be poured.
Now the mold is circled with metal, where sand is put, in order to hold the mould strait and also prevent it from exploding, if ever.
The metal is melted...
...and poured...
... into the mould.
When the whole thing has cooled down, the mould is destroyed...
... what comes out of the mold is a mix of the branches, the wax pipes and the plastic pipes, all in one big block of bronzethat weights 250kg!
Needs a crane to lift it!
Now a tiresome work has to be done: cut off all the pieces that are not The Nest.
This is how the bronze looks like when it is 'raw'.
After the piece has been sanded, the exciting (and very toxic) stage of patina occurs.
Big chance, isn't it?
The bronze has been trimmed down to a mere 150kg...but the stone it is been put on weights also 150kilos.
The piece is now intalled on rails, so it can easily be picked without ruining it.
Delicately lifted on to the truck that will carry it to...
...Gendt, where it is installed on the socle that has been buiLt in fron of the Old People's Home.
The day after, 8th October 2010, the unveily ceremony!
We expect you'll have the possibility to have a look, one day, because it is BEAU - TI - FUL!
