Dear Valued Clients,
You’ll have heard a lot about coronavirus recently and the effect it’s having across the world.
With the unprecedented disruption the Coronavirus is causing, I wanted to take this opportunity to reassure you that Mtec is taking this matter extremely seriously and we have been closely monitoring updates on the spread of the COVID-19 Coronavirus.
Early Adopters of Euro 6 Emission Technology
As many of our subscribers know back in 2013, we were early adopters of Euro 6 Emission technology. At this time many of our competitors were just starting to purchase the minimum Euro 5 Emissions engine standard. We worked hard to obtain our first Euro 6 vehicle from Mercedes Benz which reduced NO2 (nitrous oxide) to the smallest levels. This was two and a half years ahead of the legislation coming into place in September 2015. By the time the Euro 6 Emissions standard became mandatory and other shippers were starting to buy EURO 6, our fleet was already 99% compliant.
Mtec have recently completed work on an extremely unique and interesting project in conjunction with Patina Art and the Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge. The restoration of Aqjangajuk Shaa’s Inukshuk figure and subsequent reinstallation of the work is the latest chapter in a very interesting history for the work which began when it was commissioned by the collector Charles Gimpel in 1968.
The sculpture is made from separate blocks of granite which are thought to originate from Kinngait (Cape Dorset) and Qikiqtaaluk (Baffin Island) in Nunavut and was donated to the Institute and originally displayed there from 1979. Mtec were responsible for transporting the work to their bespoke viewing facility where conservators worked to restore the piece to its original condition, following years of wear and tear, minor vandalism and accidental damage. This was a highly complex process which involved contacting the artist and using the Institute’s detailed images of the work and records of previous restorations and modifications which had been made to the sculpture since 1979.
This month Mtec have had the pleasure of working with University of the Arts, Hertfordshire on their latest major exhibition of Barbara Hepworth: ‘artist in society 1948-53’. Our longstanding relationship with Hepworth’s work and her legacy, as well as the deep rooted company connections with Hertfordshire itself, have made this project extremely rewarding one to work on.
The exhibition explores a short, yet significant, period in Hepworth’s life and highlights her little-known connection to Hertfordshire bringing together sculptures and drawings, some of which have not been seen together since they were first created 70 years ago. Between 1948 and 1953 Hepworth produced a number of works which were bound for final installation within the county. Two of those works were formally relocated to the area following their commission for the Festival of Britain and a further two pieces were acquired by the Hertfortshire Schools Collection and Hatfield Technical College (now the Univ. of Herts). The exhibition also showcases further sculpture as well as 20 drawings and 100 archival items. All of the works serve to highlight elements of Hepworth’s practice during a time when she returned her focus to the human form, after focussing so heavily on the landscape in the years preceding.Continue Reading…
September saw the unveiling of some stunning public sculpture in the Kent Downs as part of the Ash Project. The ash tree is the most common tree in the Kent Downs and the third most common tree throughout the UK, so in 2012 when ash dieback was first discovered, the loss to the KAOB was devastating. The Ash Project was borne in response to the impact of losing such a stalwart of the natural habitat, with the hope of raising awareness and protecting the legacy of these majestic and historic trees.
Mtec were tasked with the logistics and installation of a major new public artwork by Ackroyd & Harvey, commissioned by The Ash Project, to stand at White Horse Wood Country Park in the heart of the Kent Downs, Detling. The magnificent piece, which will remain until Sept 2020, acts as a poignant signpost to the multitude of talks, walks and events taking place as part of the wider project involving a range of partners throughout the county.
To find out more about the project please visit the Ash Project website.
Our ongoing relationship with 14-18 NOW has led us to yet another poignant and successful installation of ‘Poppies: Wave’, this time at Fort Nelson in Hampshire. Four years on from their original installation at the Tower of London, the ‘Wave’ element of the multi-faceted piece, conceived to commemorate the centenary of World War One, is in its final year of touring the UK. Having previously been exhibited at Yorkshire Sculpture Park and Shoeburyness, it will remain in its current position for the next three months. The original installation saw 888,246 poppies displayed, one for every British or Colonial life lost between 1914 and 1918. Continue Reading…
As part of our #25yearsofmtec celebrations, where we are looking back over some of our favourite projects, we are looking at the relocation and installation of one of Barry Flanagan’s momentus hare sculptures. Barry Flanagan has been a very important part of Mtec’s history and one of the artists whom we have worked with most consistently throughout our 25 years. We continue to work extremely closely with his estate and the installation of ‘Acrobats’ is testament to this.Continue Reading…
Perhaps one of the most challenging installations of 2017 is now complete. After 3 months of 13 hour days, our team of 8 specialist technicians returned from Abu Dhabi having installed Jenny Holzer’s monumental commission ‘For Louvre Abu Dhabi’.
The artwork, comprises of 328 panels, with a combined weight of over 118 tonnes and requires an extreme level of accuracy in installation; Continue Reading…
Team Mtec recently headed to Fundación Proa, Buenos Aires to install Ai Weiwei’s ‘Forever Bicycles’ as part of his first major South American retrospective. The retrospective, curated by Marcello Dantas, includes a number of iconic installations, sculptures, photographs and videos exploring social, economic and political inconsistencies, themes commonly broached in Weiwei’s work.
The exhibition is part of a collaboration between the Banco do Brasil Cultural Center (CCBB), Fundación Proa and Ternium, Organización Techint and also includes a program of talks and activities during its duration.
Ai Weiwei @ Fundación Proa runs until the end Feb 2018, more details can be found at their website here
