The successful installation aboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines’ Harmony of the Seas has resulted in an expression of interest for a further order on the fourth Oasis-class vessel, due for delivery in 2018.
Only it’s not for a state-of the art wastewater management solution for which the company is typically known: it is state-of-the-art on a much grander scale – another jaw-dropping, thought-provoking installation designed by controversial sculptor David Cerný.
It was ten years ago that the awarding-winning artist first approached his friend – an employee at ACO Marine’s Prague facility – enquiring if the company could help engineer and build ‘Metalmorphosis’, the mirrored sculpture that now takes pride of place in the Whitehall Technology Park in Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. It was a success and ACO Art was born.
“We’ve completed about seven installations together, including ‘Metalmorphosis’, and ‘Head’ for RCCL,” said Cerný, who recently won the prestigious NordArt 2016 prize “We’ve also just completed the commissioning of the ‘Trifot’ sculpture in Prague.”
However, such has been the reception to the five-ton, three-dimensional stainless-steel ‘Head’ that greets passengers as they meander around the Harmony of the Seas’ Royal Promenade, RCCL approached the artist to design another showstopper. ACO Marine will once again manufacture and install the as-yet-to-be-revealed design.
“We also received a lot of thanks from RCCL, and there might be another collaboration in future,” Cerný says.
Mark Beavis, Managing Director, ACO Marine revealed that the German-headquartered ACO Group has a long history supporting contemporary art and artists.
“When the Carlshütte foundry closed down in 1997, Hans-Julius Ahlmann, ACO Group’s Managing Partner, developed the grounds and the historic buildings to create a very special venue for concerts and art exhibitions, including the annual NordArt, which has grown into the largest exhibition of contemporary art in northern Europe.”
“We are delighted that David won this year’s award and look forward to working with him on the other art installations. David sends us his 3D computer designs and then we set about turning his vision into tangible form. We specialise in manufacturing high-quality stainless steel products so using that experience and technology to manufacture and install his artworks is a real privilege. His artwork is groundbreaking and truly thought-provoking.”
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