Cranes, cranes, cranes!

We were very fortunate to have begun the planning for this exhibition prior to construction beginning on the expansion project. The timing enabled us to make special requests to accommodate the show, most notably wider, steel reinforced sidewalks that could accommodate the weight of the crane we needed as well as the load (sculpture) it would carry.
The tricky part was getting to our swanky new sidewalks. Since the old part of the Garden has only pedestrian grade walkways, we could not drive the equipment through to the new part. Instead, we used a large crane to pick up a smaller one and set it into the woodlands. Then we used the large crane to pick up the sculptures, sometimes in pieces, and set them next to the smaller crane. Then sculpture could then be transferred to the small crane for placement in the Southern Seasons Garden.

Here the crane is lifting the first section (the base) of Three Piece Reclining Figure Draped onto the pedestal. Notice the openings in the sides of the pedestal. The largest crane we could fit in this area could only reach so far off the path, so the sculpture was assembled piece by piece--four pieces in all--then bolted together from underneath. Hence the need for the openings, which were sealed over after the installation.
And in this image, you can barely see how the sidewalk ends right before the crane. The construction schedule was delayed due to rain, so the walkways were going in at the same time the cranes were operating. Obviously cranes and fresh concrete don't mix particularly well, so they poured right up to the point the crane would sit. Everything beyond that is "boarded out" with rubber and plywood boards to keep the crane from sinking in the mud. It took at least three full pallets (read: dozens) of boards to create makeshift sidewalks so the artwork could be installed. (Images taken April 14, 2009)