A 110-Foot Tall Bronze Horse and Giant Lobsters, But Where’s the Permalac?
Many visitors are amazed at the Pegasus and Dragon, a 110-foot tall bronze horse, displayed in Gulfstream Park, Hallandale, Florida. The dragon is a mere 50 feet in height! 110 tons of steel and 132 tons of bronze went into the construction of this project, initiated in 2012.
While it is quite stunning, we have to ask, where’s the Permalac? I discovered an early photo, when the project was incomplete, and have followed the project through the building process but the story makes my head hurt just a bit. Why would any artist not wish to protect the patina on their work of art, letting it collect ocean salt from the ever-blowing winds off the shore, only a few hundred yards east of the statue?
Permalac Victories
Many artists, builders, and construction project managers know the value of applying Permalac to an indoor or outdoor sculpture, or infrastructure undertaking, and we’re proud to proclaim that it is the favored choice of protecting such projects across the globe. In other articles on our blog, we’ve highlighted the Bull and Bear sculpture at Stifel Financial, even the Fountain of the Muses, all right here in the USA.
The Fountain of the Muses, 15 life-size bronze sculp¬tures in a reflecting pool and fountain, is one of the most visited pieces of art at the Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet, S.C. The Muses were showcased in a previous article on our blog, and it appeared in C&R Cleaning & Restoration Magazine in their February 2014, issue. Here is just one of more than 3000 of 5-star reviews of the Murrells Inlet site on TripAdvisor.
“beautiful gardens – amazing sculptures”
Reviewed February 18, 2014
I can only imagine what the gardens look like when everything is blooming. Maybe sometime, we’ll get there in the spring. Even in the winter it was beautiful, and they have some of the most amazing sculptures……. Cheryl H, Durham, North Carolina
Image credit: Permalac
Back to Pegasus
There could be numerous reasons why the Pegasus and Dragon sculpture didn’t receive the protection of Permalac, but I surmise it was because of the international firms involved, and that allowed Permalac to slip through the cracks in their process. When you consider that the framing came from Germany, the bronze segments from China, and an America firm provided the project management.
Germany-based company Strassacker handled the project, (and manager Cznay) said amazing work went into the project. It started with an idea from Gulfstream’s owner Frank Stronach. The idea — having a giant Pegasus to represent the track — then went from paper to clay and Styrofoam. Cznay said that when he first heard what Stronach was imagining, he thought it was “impossible,” and “crazy.” But working with a company in China, Strassacker came up with a plan to make the idea a reality.
Chinese engineers used a grid to create the horse and then cast the sculpture out of hundreds of tons of bronze. It was cut into pieces and packed in 26 shipping containers, then placed on a boat for a nearly six-week journey to America. – Excerpt – Miami Herald
Image credit: Miami Herald
As you can see, deposits of ocean salt have accumulated extensively on the bronze. There is also a fountain to be completed within it, and that may be someone’s planned solution to minimize the accumulation. But what of long-term protection? We attempted to contact the project manager Cznay, but were unable to reach him.
“Pegasus is a symbol of strength, elegance and good,” said Michael Stark, chief engineer for the project. “The dragon is a symbol of evil. It’s the fight of good against evil. And as you can see, the good is supposed to be winning. This is the story behind Pegasus and the dragon.” Pegasus, touted by Gulfstream as the largest bronze equine statue in the world, is fast becoming the buzz of the town. – Sun-Sentinel News Media
In a previous article showcasing the renovation of the Statue of Liberty, we noted that this important historical project also did not receive Permalac as part of the renovation. This is also referenced in the Wikipedia page on the piece. It is widely understood that Lady Liberty is the tallest metal sculpture in the USA, with Pegasus and Dragon coming in second. For comparison, there is a taller sculpture in Puerto Rico, The Birth of the New World, by Georgian sculptor Zurab Tsereteli.
There are also other “unusual animal” sculptures in North America. One in Shediac, Canada, the other in the Florida Keys, a gargantuan lobster, as seen in the images below.
Images credit: atlasobscura.com
Images credit: atlasobscura.com
There are many, many reasons to utilize Permalac on these types of grand art projects, so many that it boggles our minds when artists create such tremendous works, and then allow them to deteriorate due to exposure to the weather.
If you are a sculptor, or merely someone seeking to make your mark with a permanent reminder, make its appearance long-lasting! Consider Permalac your final touch in the preservation of your lobster, horse or dragon, Fountain Muses, the Santa Maria or perhaps a Unicorn for posterity. If you check out the product home page, you’ll see Permalac even helps protect garden gnomes.
Top featured image credit: Miami Herald
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