Material and history
Both sculptures are made of doussié, an extremely hard wood from Central Africa. Before Chemical Industry could use modern materials, resistant against acids and caustic liquids (for instance: specific steel alloys, rubber lining, Teflon, graphite), hard woods were used. Reaction tanks, agitators, and many instruments were made of wood, mostly oak, teak and doussié.
Doussié proved to be the most resistant wood. Oak wood resisted 2 to 3 years against severe conditions. Both sculptures were parts of an agitator (column and wings), having served at Sandoz in Basel for 30 years in building 23! 1985 this building was brought down. The agitator was used as a decorative object in a garden for 15 years in heat, cold, wet and icy conditions. The only thing that happened to the wood was a grey patina. In 2000 the agitator came into my possession.
The two sculptures
From the beginning, the technical form of the agitator fascinated me. After removing the paddles I took these two pieces down to my workshop. As usual, I started work without a sketch. Intuition or maybe the origin of the wood let figures emerge, which reminded spontaneously of African gods. I named them “God of the Forest” and “Lady of the Forest”.
The drive shaft inspired me because of its former rotating movement. I saw heads above each other, doing something together. Finally I finished a sculpture which corresponds to my experience in teamwork in 30 years of labour in Chemical Industry: “Bear the Crown Together”. The heads look in all four directions and take up what is relevant. Each of the four heads gives its best, which is combined and bears – like a cushion – the crown of success.
