Richard Serra · I am Identified by Steel

Richard Serra often constructs site-specific Installation, frequently on a scale that dwarfs the observer. His works challenge viewers' perception of their bodies in relation to interior spaces and landscapes, and his work often encourages movement in and around his sculptures. His most famous sculptures is the "Torqued Ellipse" series, which began in 1996 as single elliptical forms inspired by the soaring space of an early 17th century Baroque church in Rome. The sculptures are made of huge steel plates bent into circular sculptures with open tops, they rotate upward as they lean in or out. Serra usually begins a sculpture by making a small maquette (or model) from flat plates at an inch-to-foot ratio: a 40-foot piece will start as a 40-inch model. He often makes these models in lead as it is "very malleable and easy to rework continuously." He then consults a structural engineer, who specifies how the piece should be made to retain its balance and stability. The steel pieces are fabricated in Germany.The steel he uses takes about 8–10 years to develop its characteristic dark, even patina of rust. Once the surface is fully oxidized, the color will remain relatively stable over the piece's life.