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MAY NEWSLETTER
MONUMENTAL SCULPTURE FOR LARISSA SANSOUR
On view at the Venice Art Biennale 2019
Photo © Ugo Carmeni

Factum Arte has collaborated for the first time with Danish-Palestinian artist Larissa Sansour on a monumental sculpture that forms part of 'Heirloom', a reflection on the themes of memory, history and identity. Larissa Sansour is representing Denmark at the 58th International Biennale di Venezia.
 
Photo © Oak Taylor Smith for Factum Arte

The vast spherical structure is made from glass-fibre-reinforced epoxy resin. Black pigment was added to this mix in order to achieve a deep black tone; this was the first step in trying to create a light-absorbent matt black from commercially available materials which could be used on this scale. The cast resin surface had to be totally smooth (but not polished) and perfectly formed. While the multiple layers that form the blackness do not reach the qualities of the infamous Vantablack, the 'Monument for Lost Time' is at a scale where for practical reasons, maximally light-absorbent materials cannot be used.

The resulting ‘mysterious’ sphere is optically dynamic - sometimes a sphere, sometimes flat, and sometimes a void - all without any visible human intervention, in line with the artist’s intention.

The internal structure that made this work possible was designed, engineered and constructed by Factum Arte. The installation of the sculpture was carried out by Ángel Jorquera Luna, Salomé Prada Pottecher, Iván Allende and Manuel Campo Trueba, working in the run-up to the Biennale which is perhaps the most challenging installation schedule in the calendar of international events. The sphere fills the space with about 1 metre space left around the positive form. The lighting in the installation is impeccable and the mood produces the ultimate effect…All the work and effort are invisible and the vast form hovers between presence and absence.
 
Photos © Oak Taylor Smith and Otto Lowe for Factum Arte
Another highly acclaimed event in the Giardini is Tomás Saraceno's Spider/Web Pavilion 7 installation. In Madrid, the research and development team at Factum have been working on a fast, high-resolution protocol for recording these extraordinary non-human works of art in 3 dimensions.
 
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SARAH SZE'S SPLIT STONES
Photo © The Art Newspaper

This work was installed at the National Roman Museum (Crypta Balbi) in Rome to coincide with Sze’s solo exhibition at the city's Gagosian Gallery (21/11/2018 - 27/01/2019) before moving to the Rockefeller Center in New York, where it is one of the 20 sculptures exhibited for the launch of Frieze Sculpture, until 28/06/2019. A second Split Stone, entitled (Western), has been installed at the Western Washington University. 
Photo © Western Washington University
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FROM DÜRER'S WOODCUT TO 3D PRINT
Rhinoceros sculptures for Palazzo Sturm
An important exhibition on Dürer’s graphic corpus is currently on show at Palazzo Sturm in Bassano del Grappa, running until 30/09/2019. Curated by Chiara Casarin, the exhibition features more than 200 works by Dürer, including his celebrated Rhinoceros woodcut.

Dürer’s Rhinoceros woodcut recorded the exotic creature’s arrival in Europe, where it was exhibited in King Manuel I’s menagerie in Lisbon. As its fame spread Dürer drew the image we know, combining invention, folklore and an idiosyncratic zoology to concoct a fantastical creature that surpasses any observational study.

Factum Arte’s 3D sculptor has continued this beast’s strange and magical journey, transforming it from idea and image into form. Using organic modelling software, Irene Gaume sculpted the animal’s form, over which she mapped the lines of the woodcut giving them volume and relief in a style resembling a netsuke - the famous Japanese ivory carvings.

The workshop team materialised its intricate shape through 3D printing, silicon moulding, casting and hand finishing with bitumen. While the resulting sculptures appear to be carved in ivory, they act as a commentary on the fragility of the relationship between the human and the natural. An edition of 100 Rhinoceros sculptures accompany the exhibition and their sales will support the Museum of Bassano del Grappa.
Impressions of Albrecht Dürer © Óscar Parasiego
To accompany this exhibition, the team at Factum Arte has made a film which captures the different printmaking techniques used by Dürer and his assistants. Following the hands of artisans, Impressions of Albrecht Dürer demonstrates the different manual and chemical procedures involved in engraving, etching and woodcut.
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JASPER MORRISON'S CORK FURNITURE AT KASMIN GALLERY
 Images courtesy of the artist and Kasmin Gallery.
Photography by Diego Flores

Factum Arte has produced a series of 25 pieces of furniture from recycled cork for the acclaimed designer Jasper Morrison. The pieces are on show at Kasmin Gallery as part of 'Corks', Morrison's first solo show in North America, running until 28 June 2019.
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JAN HENDRIX TAPESTRY SERIES AT THE MUAC
Photo © Jaime Navarro for Jan Hendrix

In 2018, Factum Arte started work with Jan Hendrix on the production of a series of tapestries depicting the landscape of Yagul, in Southern Mexico. These tapestries are on display at a survey show of Jan's work in the Museo Universitario de Arte Contemporáneo (MUAC), Mexico City. The show runs until 22/09/2019 and will then tour.

Factum Arte was involved in all the steps of the process, from the creation of digital high-resolution files to establishing the tonal and textural character of the weaving. The transformation from drawn mark to woven tapestry has a magic of its own.
A film by Óscar Parasiego
 
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