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Last day of installation at La Maddalena

by Leonhard Emmerling

The Judy Millar team has finished installation at La Maddalena. The last thing to do was to hang Judy’s banner on the outside of the church. Bruce Edgar proved that Simon Glaister is not the only team member with excellent mountaineering abilities, climbing fearlessly up to the rooftop of La Maddalena.

Bruce and Simon on roof top for final work installing Judy Millar's exhibition at the Venice Biennale  Simon Glaister and Bruce Edgar on roof top


The banner was unfurled and fixed to the ground with heavy concrete blocks, filled with sand. Watch the video of it here .

Judy Millar banner1 Judy Millar banner2 

Judy Millar banner Judy Millar banner_full

In both pavilions – at Fondazione Buziol, greeting the boats on the Grand Canal, and on La Maddalena, where thousands of visitors pass by each day – the signages were applied.

Judy Millar sign Signage_francis upritchard

The completion of all the installation work is an appropriate opportunity to praise a very important person for the whole process: Bruce Edgar. With ingenuity he designed the installation Judy Millar required for the realisation of her project. Every single piece was prefabricated in his workshop in Christchurch, cut to the exact measurements, labelled and sent to Venice, where the whole construction that builds the support for Judy’s central painting was put together. His technical skills are limitless, his dedication unconditional. Without his vision and careful preparations, without his abilities of planning and overseeing the installation the project couldn’t have been realised in the way we have done it now.

His kindness and patience and his sense of humour made it a pure pleasure to work with him (and under his guidance). He also oversaw all the shipping from New Zealand and England to Venice and will be responsible that the works arrive safely back home. 

Simon Glaister Bruce Edgar and Judy Millar, photo: Hans-Georg Gaul, Berlin Simon Glaister, Bruce Edgar and Judy Millar, photo: Hans-Georg Gaul, Berlin Simon Glaister, Bruce Edgar and Judy Millar, photo: Hans-Georg Gaul, Berlin Bruce Edgar, photo: Hans-Georg Gaul, Berlin  

His fame has risen to such an extent during his stay in Venice that even the Australian installers under the leadership of Terry Urbahn asked him to help get them out of trouble. Hats off to Mr. Edgar!

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