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.
