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.
We are proud to announce that for the second year running Mtec are providing a bursary to emerging artists at Frieze Sculpture Park. Last year saw us sponsor the installation and de-installation of two works in the park, TREADPADS (2018) by James Capper and PAN AFRICAN FLAGS FOR THE RELIC TRAVELLERS’ ALLIANCE (2018) by Larry Achiampong, providing an opportunity for Hannah Barry Gallery and Copperfield Gallery to exhibit alongside other renowned galleries and institutions from across the globe.Continue Reading…
Mtec are honoured to announce their involvement in the installation of Graham Ibbeson’s ‘Three Degrees’. Recently unveiled in New Square, West Bromwich, the sculpture, which honours the pioneering footballers, Laurie Cunningham, Brendan Batson and Cyrille Regis, is the product of years of fundraising to acknowledge their struggle in challenging prejudice, not just within football but beyond the terraces. After a final donation from the Professional Footballers’ Association last year the sculpture came into fruition and was shipped and installed by Mtec last month, culminating in an unveiling by PFA boss Gordon Taylor.Continue Reading…
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…
Today, as we embark upon our 26thyear of business, we are extremely proud to announce the re-branding of our European sister company MA-CO Italia. Many of our clients and partners have worked with our colleagues in Venice since our partnering 5 years ago. We hope that the renaming of the company’s Italian facilitiy will make communication and logistical operations between the sites, and our clients, clearer and more effective. MA-CO Italia has been re-named Mtec Italia to sit in line with the rest of the Mtec family; Mtec Belgium and Mtec London. Our trusted staff are delighted at the name change, and look forward to better brand recognition for all three bases and the potential opportunities that this will bring. We also hope that prospective new clients will recognise the increased scope and potential for their projects given the improved clarity when it comes to location, services offered and the unique relationship between the three outposts.Continue Reading…
This year has been one of unprecedented successes for Mtec as a company and has seen us travel wider, work harder and innovate further. As well as many professional challenges and achievements, we have had the honour working on many projects this year in a philanthropic capacity; something we have always strived for in our 25 years of business and hope to continue and expand upon in the years to come.Continue Reading…
Last weekend saw the 11th European Registrars Conference take place in London, 20 years since the city last hosted the event. Several members from our team were in attendance and relished the opportunity to catch-up with colleagues, clients and industry influencers old and new. The conference’s themes, ‘Evolve, Refresh, Collaborate’, aimed to discuss the evolution of the sector over the last 20 years and look ahead to the many more beyond. Sessions ranged from panel discussions and practical demonstrations to presentations on projects of redevelopment, museum decants, packing and international collaboration.
Last night saw the second Hepworth Prize awarded to worthy winner, Cerith Wyn Evans. As proud sponsors of the Prize we were honoured to be in attendance at the Museum of the Year 2017 and hear from those involved in the award, as well as this year’s nominees. The prize itself is particularly dear to us as a company as the story of its origins and that of contemporary sculpture in Yorkshire is so intertwined with the story of Mtec and its growth over the last 25 years.Continue Reading…
With the approach of the Armistice Centenary, Mtec have had the opportunity to give back to a dear charity in remembrance of fallen serviceman. Our installation team visited Great Ormond Street Hospital and assisted in the respositioning to a more prominent site of a bronze commemorative plaque in honour of fallen colleagues of the hospital in both WW1 and WW2.
This struck an extremely personal chord with Mtec founder, Dave Williams, who’s grandfather served with the British Expeditionary Force as part of the Royal Army Medical Corps in WW2 at Dunkirk, assisting the fallen and injured both at the battle and, when captured by the Germans, behind enemy lines. To be able to donate time and resources to such a honourable and poignant project, especially during our 25th Anniversary year, was a real joy and we hope that the plaque will get the attention it truly deserves in its new location within the hospital.
Having been heavily involved in the logistics, transportation and installation at previous locations, such as YSP, Fort Nelson and Lincoln Castle, Mtec have had the honour of being involved in the final citing of ‘Poppies: Weeping Window’ and ‘Poppies: Wave’ at the Imperial War Museums London and Manchester, respectively. Forming the last installment of a four-year journey, the Poppies will be in situ until Nov, 18. Mtec were in attendance at the unveiling of the London installation, which was originally part of ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’ at the Tower of London in 2014. Each of the several thousand hand-made ceramic poppies symbolise a life lost at the Front in WW1, making the final location for this installation, at both of the IWM museums, extremely fitting.
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.
This #summerofsculpture has truly been an international one for Mtec and we are proud to have been involved in the first International Biennial of St Paul de Vence. The village, steeped in a history which has drawn artists to its walls, hosts 13 established artists and 4 emerging artists as part of free programme of events including a Fringe festival embracing the link between art and the iconic setting.
Once again we have the honour of being heavily involved in Frieze Sculpture Park as complete art logistics providers, working with some of the world’s leading galleries to transport, install and pack a number of works belonging to the full contingent of 25 contemporary and modern sculptures. Two years after the decision was taken to extend the period for which the works will be on show in the park, the works will be installed at the beginning of July and remain until the end of the fair in October. Claire Lilley remains as curator of the park and, new for 2018, also lends her esteemed knowledge and voice to a new app and audio tour available throughout the park. Continue Reading…
This year, for the first time, Mtec Belgium have been appointed as preferred art transporter for Art Festival Watou. We have been entrusted with the movement of works not only in Belgium but from Norway, Poland, France and Germany and onto a safe arrival at the festival exhibition sites.
The festival, in Northern Belgium, has been growing progressively over the years and now encompasses events which run alongside the main exhibition. This year the festival is titled ‘on longing and consolation’ and runs from Jun, 30 to Sep, 2.
For further information visit the Kunst Festival Watou website and to contact our Belgian office for transport or storage enquiries please email belgium@mtecfreightgroup.com
