Nørgaard's work of art falling apart again - now held together with duct tape

The saga over the disrepair of an expensive ground mural at the Faculty of Science at the University of Copenhagen looks to continue. Low-cost ‘fake’ copper repairs in 2013 are disintegrating and are now held together by duct tape.

In 2008 the former Faculty of Life Sciences, now the Faculty of Science, was decorated with a 10x33m granite, copper and steel ground mural. The work of art, named ‘Biologisk mangfoldinghed’ (Biological Diversity), was made by one of Denmark’s most notable artists Bjørn Nørgaard.

By 2011 however, thieves had stolen the metal parts of the work, leaving the work of art as you can see here.

Restoration needs … a restoration

The artist was not happy about it, and the Faculty of Science adopted in the beginning of 2013 a low-cost repair and thief proof strategy: Instead of replacing the stolen metal parts, they introduce new copper-colouring materials to prevent them from being stolen again and reduce restoration costs.

However the budget-friendly solution, though innovative, has apparently not solved the problem. The new materials have not survived the winter and the mural is damaged again as it can be seen above.

The temporary solution to the damages has been home made: The broken parts of the work of art have been stuck together with duct tape.

Hopefully a more long lasting solution will be found before the next winter arrives. The University Post has not yet been able to get a comment from the Faculty of Science campus building affairs administrators.

See artist Bjørn Nørgaard’s reaction to the broken restoration of the restoration here.

universitypost@adm.ku.dk

Like us on Facebook for features, guides and tips on upcoming events. Follow us on Twitter for links to other Copenhagen academia news stories. Sign up for the University Post weekly newsletter here.