Urs Fischer "Mermaid / Pig / Bro w/Hat" exhibit was held at the Gagosian Gallery New York from April 3 thru May 23, 2014. The exhibition is directly related to the vast and extraordinary installation YES, which Fischer made on-site at the Geffen Contemporary in 2013. Since this event, these sculptures have been acquired by collectors worldwide.
Urs Fischer was born in Switzerland and started his career studying photography at the Schule für Gestaltung, Zurich. He then moved to Amsterdam in 1993 and had his first solo show at a gallery in Zurich in 1996. Urs Fischer has lived and worked in London, Los Angeles, and Berlin before moving to New York.
One of the Mermaid sculptures was acquired by a collector in Beverly Hills and displayed in an outdoor setting. The Mermaid sculpture is 40 1/2 x 48 x 84 inches and is made of cast unpainted and gilded bronze and weeps water over its contours by an elaborate internal hydraulic delivery system to 22 separate locations.
Since its installation, the hydraulic system has become increasingly unreliable and is difficult to maintain. The Gagosian Gallery asked Fountain Source to study and evaluate the hydraulic system to determine if it can be repaired or restored to reliable operation. Our Assessment deemed that the system was too complex and sensitive for outdoor operation. Our recommendation was to redesign, and simplify the system, to ensure reliable outdoor operation and maintenance.
The hydraulic system was redesigned by removing the bulk of the equipment from within the sculpture and locating to a remote, concealed location so that it can be easily accessed for routine maintenance and to allow for precise flow adjustment in accordance to the Artist's design intent.
References:
Gagosian Gallery New York - Gagosian-Urs Fischer Mermaid
Urs Fischer Artist - Urs Fischer Mermaid
Project Team:
Condor, Inc. Specialty Constructors - Condor, Inc.
Fountain Source Engineering and Design, Inc.
