Aluminium statues and the immortalisation of Ghanaian sporting legends

Abstract

The study was a studio-based research on Aluminium statues and the immortalisation of Ghanaian sporting legends, that exhibits praxis and exegesis of Azumah Nelson’s statue. It advances the immortalization of Ghana’s most outstanding sporting legend and material sustainability which is rendered in scrap aluminium sculpture. It encourages the Ghanaian sculptor to contribute positively to Ghana’s history by sculpting Ghana’s sports legends in their daily practice. The study was premised on the fact that quite a number of statues in Ghana are produced to honour the kings, politicians and individuals without the consideration of sports icons who in their own way contributed largely to the development of Ghana. Within the praxis, a sculptural artefact of a sporting icon, Azumah Nelson was created using scrap aluminium. The research employed qualitative research method to collect data and to analyse the data on how scrap aluminium could be used as a material to cast a statue. Semi-Structured interviews and observation were used. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the sporting legend for the study. The clay model was built and the resulting mother mould was created using P.O.P and sand combinations for the newly created wax sculpture. This was eventually de-waxed in a kiln and the molten aluminium metal poured into it (mould) at the foundry to create Azumah Nelson’s Statue. Though aluminium is scarcely used to sculpt, the finished work proved the viability of modelling in sculpture with aluminium. The outcome of the study indicated that there are quite a number of sportsmen and women who have contributed immensely to the development of Ghana but have not been recognised officially in forms of statue and therefore a lot must be done to correct or remedy the situation. It also shows that the material, aluminium, is the cheapest among all the traditional materials; it is sustainable and does not rust, and above all it has greater resistance to the external forces of the weather as compared to concrete statues.