September 18 at 5 pm at Delavski dom Trbovlje.

Slavko Tihec, one of the most innovative sculptors in Slovenia in the second half of the 20th century, created a sculpture in 1969 entitled ”Kinetic Object” or ”Verticals”. The circulation of water, which causes the floats to move randomly, gives this seemingly refined and industrially manufactured object a natural sense of movement, emphasised by the clattering of the floats.

It is precisely the water that brings the sculpture to life that is the greatest factor in its degradation and decay. Limescale accumulates on the floating elements, whilst the paint coating – which is not intended for contact with water – peels away from the floats’ supports.

For the purposes of restoring the ”Kinetic Object”, it is necessary to test various coatings, their durability and, amongst other things, their resistance to the clattering inherent in the sculpture due to the movement of the water. For the purposes of testing and gaining a better understanding of Tihec’s technology, I have created replicas of the floats, endeavouring to replicate the original as closely as possible in terms of the materials used and the construction.

In this lecture, I will present approaches to designing a replica using contemporary/modern materials, the necessary tests, the pitfalls encountered, and ingenious methods that lead to a successful and functional replica.