A Sculpture in Concrete for Practicing Alpinism

Leonardo, Vol. 10, pp. 225-226. Pergamon Press 1977. Printed in Great Britain. A SCULPTURE IN CONCRETE FOR PRACTICING ALPINISM Pierre Ssekely” Sincemy childhood I have been intrigued by the Sun, the Moon, space and matter. I became a sculptor, but I suppose that I could have become an architect or astronomer. Now at the age of 53 1 have constructed a large sculpture for alpinists, whom I call pic;tons de I’espace(walkers in space), at the edge of a lake in a ‘new city’ development, south of Paris. Sculptors and alpinists, in their particular ways, contend with space. Their physical is guided more by imagination than by mechanical devices and tools. This analogy was a source of inspiration for me in undertaking the work. Having had prior experience in architectural projects [l], I was invited in 1970 to propose a sculpture for the ‘newcity’at Evry and my proposal was accepted. In 1975, the sculpture in concrete, called ‘La Dame du Lac’, was completed. Seventeen and a half meters high and facing south, it servesas a kind of cliff for learning how to climb and for practicing different kinds of climbing techniques (Figs. 1,2).But it is not a mere imitation of a rock cliff-it is a sculpture that makes an artistic contribution to the surrounding scenery and, indeed, is visible from afar. The sculpture curves upwards from its broad solid base, gently at first and then more and more steeply, giving one the feelingof a forceful thrust skywards (Fig. 3).Towards the top it bends slightlybackward, producing a slight concavity. The sculpture, embellished with a central chimney, ledgesand hand holds, leads to nowhere in particular, but it seems to me to express visually the *Sculptor, 32 rue Sadi Carnot,93170 Bagnolet, France. Based on text in French. (Received 8 Oct. 1976.) Fig. I. ‘LaDame du Lac’, alpine climbing sculpture at Evry. France, reinforced andgunned concrete, height 17.5 m, 197W5. (Photo: D. Planguette, Evry, France.) challenge accepted by humans to strive to attain the limits of the possible. Along with the masons who worked on the sculpture, I had the opportunity to view the sculptured form from various points on the scaffolding. This large work will be touched by many hands and feet and it will not envy those ‘nonutilitarian’sister sculptures that must be viewed only from a distance. I hope that its climbers will be influenced deeply by the aesthetic qualities of its major form. Guido Magnone, who introduced me to climbing, refers to my Fig. 2. Detail of ‘LaDame du Lac‘.(Photo: D. Planguette. Evry, France.) 225 Fig. 3. Side view of ‘La Dame du Lac’. (Photo: P. Joly and V. Cardot, Bures-sur-Yvette. France.) D 226 sculpture as a 'vertical sports field'. Other descriptive terms that have been oll'ered are 'the big cape'. 'the bonnet'. 'the ice-ax'. 'the pine cone'. 'the niche' and 'the arm support'. There are no empty spaces within the wall of the sculpture itself. It is a surface of concrete swept into the air between the water's edge and the lazily undulating hills of the site. A sign might read: 'Bare-handed explorers. 'La Dnme du Lac' welcomes yoti. You are not forbidden to touch: in fact. you are wrned to hold on tight!' In other large sculptures I have uscd gunned concrete ;IS my medium. Examples of these works are the 'Univers de Jeux' at the Olympic Village at Grenoble. France ( 1967); 'Renouveau' in the village of recreation and culture at Beg-Meil. Brittany. France (1965-1969) [I]; the 'Soleil bipede'. a sculpture 12 m in height on the 'Route of Friendship' in Mexico City (1968)[ I . 21 and the 'MaisonPlante ' at Sebourg, near Valencienncs, France (1973). For the sculpture at Evry. with the technical aid of engineer Bernard Metzle and the Ritou Company. Malakoff. France, 1 employed a somewhat different type ofconstruction (Fig.4).To make the wall. which is about 20 cm thick. concrete was poured in successive layers I .5 m deep in the space between two sheets of steel grating ( I 5 x I 5 mm and I mm thick). The steel grating shapcd the contour of...