Photographic Journey of Ouroboros
Lindy Lee’s 13-tonne sculpture, Ouroboros, is in place after three years of anticipation.
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How is it made?
There are several stages involved in making Ouroboros, but four critical portions are pattern making, sand casting, fabrication, and finishing.
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Sand casting involves creating cope and drag patterns, then moulding and casting. Reclaimed and recycled stainless steel is poured into moulds and allowed to cool.
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Fabrication begins with raw castings being cleaned, fettled, and sandblasted. Fettling is the process by which rough edges are trimmed, and all excess cast components are removed.
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During the finishing process, sandblasted panels are treated with an acidic solution for 45 minutes to re-establish a protective chromium oxide layer, minimizing the potential for oxidization.
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Panels are sandblasted for smoothing and polishing before being assembled onto a temporary steel armature. Alignment is checked and adjusted during this step, with the aid of augmented reality for the fabricators.
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After aligning the panels, they are welded together and then prepared for finishing.
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Before final finishing, plasma cutting of voids begins. Once the plasma cutting is completed, final shaping and finishing starts to create a mirror-polished reflective surface.
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After the assembly and finishing is complete, a final passivation process is applied to protect the Ouroboros.
Finally… The Ouroboros then begins its journey to the National Gallery.
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Image Credit: National Gallery of Australia, Sam Cooper, Rachel See, Joe Ruckli
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