UBC Reports | Vol.
51 | No. 2 |
Feb. 3, 2005
Students Around "Tuning Fork" Sculpture (1971)
By Chris Hives, University Archives
Long a campus landmark outside the Music Building, the 24-foot
"Tuning Fork" sculpture was created by local artist
Gerhard Class in 1968.
Critics observed with some dismay that the sculpture began
to rust soon after its installation. Unknown to them, Class
deliberately crafted the piece out of corten steel specifically
because of its tendency to "rust" naturally to provide
a protective barrier for the underlying metal. However, the
sculpture did deteriorate to the point it had to be removed
in the late 1990s as it became too rusty and was considered
a hazard.
A few years after the death of Class some of his colleagues
worked to have the sculpture repaired, reinforced and reinstalled
in the summer of 1999.
