The Black Stump, University of Western Australia
Howard Taylor's The Black Stump is located near the Octagon Theatre at the University of Western Australia. This sculpture is made from glass mosaic tiles, reinforced concrete and exposed aggregate.
The sculpture was extremely discoloured due to bore water staining. Cracks had developed in the concrete due to the corrosion of the steel armature caused by the ingress of ground water. Many tiles had been lost or cracked due to skateboarders and underlying corrosion. Conservation treatment included:
- Removal of extensive bore water staining and previous anti-graffiti coating
- Removal of extensive bore water staining and previous anti-graffiti coating
Tiles during cleaning
- Replacement of missing glass tiles and regrouting.
- Infilling losses in the exposed aggregate.
- Design and installation of an underground steel collar and drainage system to prevent the ingress of debris and ground water.
- Infilling losses in the exposed aggregate.
- Design and installation of an underground steel collar and drainage system to prevent the ingress of debris and ground water.
Formwork around base prior to pouring of concrete
Sculpture with steel collar around base
- Application of silane coating to waterproof the concrete and reduce the corrosion of the internal armature
- Replacement of anti-graffiti coating
- Coordination of lifting and replacement of one component to allow the installation of paving
- Replacement of anti-graffiti coating
- Coordination of lifting and replacement of one component to allow the installation of paving
The sculpture following paving of the site
The conservation treatment was presented at the 2007 AICCM National Conference in Brisbane, and has been published in the conference preprints
