Recovered wrecked metal (spanner) - front and back. Polished found object. 173x38. June 2013.
Although I've been a collector (i.e. hoarder) of forgotten objects since before I can remember, the thought to restore these objects only occurred to me after a second year metalwork project which required extensive polishing work (Bedford Level Experiment - Flat Earth, 2012).
A spanner half buried in the sand of a beach near my grand parents' remote fishing cabin was the first object to be polished as such. This discovery also coincided with that of two pieces of shipwreck metal, namely 'knees' (brackets used to secure the deck of a ship to its hull).
These two discoveries formed the basis of an ongoing investigation which would span the next three years. It would begin with the restoration of a spanner (rusted to within millimetres of existence), lead to a week-long salvage expedition on the South African East Coast, and end with the return of the salvaged objects to the original wreck-site.
Annotated satellite image showing discovery sites of spanner, first knees, and main salvage operation.
Discovery site of first found 'knees' behind the fishing cabin. Dec 2012.
First found 'knees' photographed shortly after discovery in the undergrowth visible in background. Dec 2012.
First installation of found 'knees'. June 2013. Articles were displayed unrestored and suspended from the ceiling (a play on depth by situating the viewer below the level of that which is normally found at the bottom of the ocean). Note the spanner in background.
Second installation of single found 'knee'. June 2014. For this installation the article was restored by removing the external layers of corrosion ('shod') with chisel and mechanical wire brush before being polished using buffer wheels and polishing compounds.
Proposal images for imagined wrecked metal mobile. Wintergreen-transfers on tracing paper. Jun 2014
Continuing with the theme of suspending restored wreck metal, a decision was made to undergo a salvage expedition and gather as many other articles of wreck metal as possible. These would then be restored and suspended from the ceiling so as to resemble a swarm of bizarre, glittering ocean objects.
The salvage expedition took place over a spring-tide in the middle of winter 2014. The weather went from near tropical calm to a most tempestuous maelstrom which broke during high-tide. This resulted in the greatest rise in water level I'd ever seen at the cabin.
Fortunately, we were able to recover the wrecked metal articles before the storm broke.
Panoramic photo of Runnymede wreck-site at low tide shortly before the storm broke. June 2014.
Panoramic photo of Runnymede wreck-site at a high spring tide during a storm. June 2014.
Wreck metal articles at discovery site. June 2014 (salvage expedition).
Wreck metal articles at discovery site. June 2014 (salvage expedition).
Wreck metal article at discovery site. June 2014 (salvage expedition).
Residue left on rocks from wrecked metal at discovery site. June 2014 (salvage expedition).
Wreck metal articles laid out after initial recovery. June 2014 (salvage expedition).
Wreck metal article being shod. June 2014 (salvage expedition).
Wreck metal article being shod. June 2014 (salvage expedition).
Salvaged wreck metal articles prepared for transport after being shod. June 2014 (salvage expedition).
In preparation for transport, the salvaged articles were shod of their outer layer of rust on-site before being wrapped in white medical cloth.
Non-ferrous metals corrode differently to ferrous ones (especially in the case of oceanic submersion) in that tiny hollow tendrils are formed through out the matrix of the metal object. Oxidation of the metal object also causes the formation of an outer layer of chunky sheets of amalgamated rust flakes. Thus the metal object is essentially reduced to a non-flexible sponge encased in a rusty husk.
During transport, water previously trapped in the hollow tendrils leaked out and stained the white bandages. The visual result of this was so overwhelmingly potent - visceral, 'bandaged' objects evocative of limbs with seeping wounds - that the idea of a polished wreck metal mobile was abandoned and a new direction for the artwork pursued.
Bandaged wreck metal article with ferric stain. Aug 2014.
Bandaged wreck metal article with ferric stain. Aug 2014.
Print Portfolio (catalogue of salvaged shipwreck articles). 2014. Digital lithographic print on munken polar. 840x520mm
Recovered Wreck Metal. 2014. Salvaged shipwreck metal (Runnymede), cotton cloth, cotton string. 1300x2000x1200mm
Recovered Wreck Metal (detail of 'two lovers or drunken sailors'). 2014. Salvaged shipwreck metal (Runnymede), cotton cloth, cotton string. 1300x2000x1200mm
This 'found' photograph by Barrett Gallagher, which shows sailors on the USS Intrepid holding a burial at sea in 1944, informed the final presentation of the bandaged wreck metal articles.
Recovered Wreck Metal. 2014. Salvaged shipwreck metal (Runnymede), cotton cloth, cotton string. 1300x2000x1200mm
Recovered Wreck Metal (detail of smaller pieces). 2014. Salvaged shipwreck metal (Runnymede), cotton cloth, cotton string. 1300x2000x1200mm
Owing to the fact that only one of the original wreck metal articles had been polished, a decision was taken to return the articles to the discovery site. This decision was also informed by the strict (and woefully counter-intuitive) heritage laws governing shipwreck salvaging in South Africa.
The need to preserve our oceans surpassed the desire for staging a more 'artistic' intervention. Thus, the articles were stripped of the white bandages prior to being laid to rest. The bandages were kept.
Returning wreck metal to the sea - articles collected together prior to unwrapping and placement. Cabin and marsh visible in background. Dec 2014.
Returning wreck metal to the sea - articles laid out in final placement prior to unwrapping. Dec 2014.
Returning wreck metal to the sea - detail of one of the articles that disintegrated during unwrapping. Dec 2014.
Returning wreck metal to the sea - detail of trapped cloth that became animated as the tide rose. Dec 2014.
Wreck metal articles laid out in final resting place. Dec 2014