Study Of Sculpture And Fountains

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31654, 15 April 1968, Page 11

Study Of Sculpture And Fountains

Although Mr E. J. Doudney, reader in sculpture and dean of the faculty of fine arts at the University of Canterbury will make a special study of Romanesque (“Romance rather than Roman”) sculpture on refresher leave, he will also study modern tools and techniques “now used more frequently than the chisel.”

“Large-scale sculpture is being conceived in countries such as the United States, Canda, and England and sophisticated equipment is required for the mere handling, apart from making,” he said. “Engineering tools such as arc and gas-welding torches, lathes, forges, drills, and presses are employed.” New materials were also being used for casting, carving, and fabricating.

Mr Doudney is particularly interested in sculpture combined with water, and he intends to examine fountains widely. “A fountain should look well at all times—even when water Is not flowing, so it must be very carefully designed,” said Mr Doudney. “It should, tn fact, be a piece of sculpture.” He would show this in photographs of fountains in Europe.

"Christchurch could become, most delightfully, a city of fountains,” said Mr Doudney. “Shopping malls, for instance, offer most suitable sites for sculpture and fountains. I will be looking at these.

“When I returned from leave in 1958, I said a minor renaissance in sculpture was taking place in Europe. 1 think we are now beading to.

ward a major resurgence in this art on a world-wide scale. If this sounds optimistic, it is only so in relation to the mammoth achievements of the past. “Although large-scale permanent sculpture can still be an expensive affair, the use of polyester resins with steel and glass-fibre reinforcements has made some large schemes much more attractive economically, and I will be investigating some of the alternative methods and materials while abroad,” said Mr Doudney. Mr Doudney, with his wife, will visit England, Ireland, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and Spain.