Gloucestershire foundry casts sculpture of new WWI memorial for US
Published: 2 January 2024
via the British Broadcasting Corporation web site
sculpture BBC
The vast 25 tonne bronze is America's first national memorial to US servicemen who lost their lives in World War One
A vast 60ft (18m) long memorial created at a foundry in Gloucestershire is to be installed near the White House in Washington, later this year.
The 25 tonne bronze is America’s first national memorial to US servicemen who lost their lives in World War One.
Depicting one soldier’s journey through the Great War, it has taken Pangolin Foundry in Stroud and American sculptor Sabin Howard around 10 years to create.
Actor Kelsey Grammer, a project supporter, said it was “breath taking”.
To create the “epic” work, actors were over flown from the United States, dressed in period clothing and posed in front of banks of cameras.
The resulting 3D images were then created in foam and clay and sent back to the US to be sculpted from life.
The sculptures were then shipped back to Stroud to be cast in bronze.
Mr Howard, who has described the work as “large, vast and epic”, said he has “not taken a Christmas break”.
“We’re getting there, it’s now a matter of days. It’s been four and a half years and now I can count the days to the end,” he said.
He added that the piece “should not be a glorification of war”.
“I’m a pacifist and this [piece] should be about how we rise to the potential of who we can be as a species.”
Pangolin Foundry director Rungwe Kingdon, said he was “really happy” with how the casting had come out.
“What a project, what a project,” he said.
“We’re now planning the installation in Washington which is obviously a mission in itself.”
Read the entire article on the BBC web site.
External Web Site Notice: This page contains information directly presented from an external source. The terms and conditions of this page may not be the same as those of this website. Click here to read the full disclaimer notice for external web sites. Thank you.
