'Ridge and Furrow' sculpture to be installed on Cleary Walkway June 28
June 27, 2011
University of Iowa Media Alert
'Ridge and Furrow' sculpture to be installed on Cleary Walkway June 28
WHAT: Installation of “Ridge and Furrow” sculpture by Peter Randall-Page, part of the Art in State Buildings program. British sculptor Peter Randall-Page carved the 19-ton coarse granite boulder over a five-month period. Reflecting a natural design, the boulder has a continuous and endless ridge flanked by ‘v’ shaped grooves or furrows.
WHEN: 9 a.m. Tuesday, June 28
WHERE: T. Anne Cleary Walkway on the University of Iowa campus, off Market Street, between the Pomerantz Center and Chemistry Building (for a map of the area, see http://www.uiowa.edu/%7Emaps/p/pc1.htm)
WHY: The UI Art on Campus Committee chose the sculpture because of its use of natural materials and would fit into the landscaping design of the walkway area, said committee chair Sean O’Harrow, director of the UI Museum of Art. Pam White, UI’s Art in State Buildings program coordinator, had seen Randall-Page’s work in England first in 2004 and recommended him to the Art on Campus Committee in 2009.
WHO: Randall-Page has gained an international reputation over the past 25 years through his sculpture drawings and prints. His public sculptures can be found in many urban and rural locations throughout the United Kingdom. His work is held in public and private collections throughout the world.
Randall-Page’s work has been informed and inspired by the study of organic form and its subjective impact on human emotions. As the part design team for the Education Resource Centre (The Core) at the Eden Project in Cornwall, he influenced the overall design of the building incorporating an enormous granite sculpture titled “Seed.” Recent projects in England include “Green Fuse” for the Jerwood Sculpture Park, Ragley Hall and a major exhibition at the Underground Gallery at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
See http://www.peterrandall-page.com/about/intro.html for more about Randall-Page and his work. See also an article about “Ridge and Furrow” at http://www.thisisdevon.co.uk/Nature-art-perfect-harmony-Cornish-stone-heads-America/story-11430327-detail/story.html
UI Facilities Management will coordinate the sculpture installation with help from Coonrod Wrecker and Crane Service.
MORE INFORMATION: The boulder comes from Cornwall in the south west of England, 58 miles from Randall-Page’s studio in Devon.
In his artists’ statement Randall-Page says “the naturally eroded boulder, shaped by the elements over millennia, provides the random element whilst the ordering principle, in this case, derives from a chemical phenomena of patterns formed when two liquids that don’t mix are put under pressure. Having analyzed these patterns under high magnification I realized that they follow simple rules within which infinite variations are possible.
“Interestingly, it seems that this inorganic chemical phenomena is the origin of the striped patterns exhibited by animals and fish; such as tigers, zebras, mackerel and many others,” he states.
The sculpture is part of the Art in State Buildings Program enacted to provide for the inclusion of fine arts in state building construction projects in cooperation with the Iowa Arts Council. The requirement states that one-half of 1 percent of a project's total cost shall be expended for the acquisition, preparation, and installation of fine arts elements in and around state buildings in areas regularly accessible to the general public. The funding came as part of the construction of the Pomerantz Center, Burge Hall and the Chemistry Building.
For more information about the UI Art on Campus program and to view a photo gallery, visit its new website at http://facilities.uiowa.edu/art-on-campus/index.html.
STORY SOURCE: University of Iowa News Services, 300 Plaza Centre One, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-2500.
MEDIA CONTACTS: Pam White, 319-310-8647, pamela-white@uiowa.edu, Art in StateBuildings program coordinator; Wendy Moorehead, 319-335-1246, wendy-moorehead@uiowa.edu, Facilities Management; George McCrory, UI News Services, 319-384-0012, george-mccrory@uiowa.edu
