Mass and Individual Moving
Gloria is a habitable egg-shaped cell that moves around an imaginary axis and two giant flywheels. The work was made at the request of Middelheim open-air museum in Antwerp as part of an exhibition on the theme of cars. Several internationally renowned artists were asked to submit an artistic project. For the realisation of Gloria, support was found at Sidal Aluminium, a factory located in the Belgian commune of Duffel.
Gloria is a habitable egg-shaped cell that moves around an imaginary axis and two giant flywheels. The work was made at the request of Middelheim open-air museum in Antwerp as part of an exhibition on the theme of cars. Several internationally renowned artists were asked to submit an artistic project. For the realisation of Gloria, support was found at Sidal Aluminium, a factory located in the Belgian commune of Duffel.
The 'car' is composed of 16 pieces. Completely set up, the work is 4.5 meters high, 4 meters long and 4 meters wide, with a total weight of about 1,200 kg (without batteries and motors). The artwork can reach a top speed of 6 km per hour. After its static performance in Middelheim, in 1986, Gloria is invited for a mobile one at the annual music festival in Leffinge-Leuren. On Raphael Opstaele's website, Gloria is described as his 'most attractive sculpture'.
