KKV Monumental
An artist sanctuary in Malmö
As part of my thesis project, Furnace, during my stay at Lund University I got in touch with KKV Monumental Malmö to see if they would let me document their process of sandcasting a bronze sculpture.
KKV is an artist foundation established in 1972 and resides in a small collection of buildings with about 1000 m2 of artist studios and workshops for wood, metal, ceramics, glass, enamel, foundry, plaster, and other processes. It is a truly amazing facility for the artists of Sweden and the in-residence artists they host from abroad.
The works they produce are monumental.
Castings are made into clay and greensand. The material is densely packed into position around the pattern to be reproduced so it can be removed, leaving a cavity for metal to flow into.
It is an intensive process to heat bronze to 1000°C, so many casting flasks are prepared in advance of a pour.
Once cooled, the sand is broken away from the cast piece and the finishing process can begin. Sprues and flashing are cut away, and complex pieces are soldered or welded together prior to polishing and patination.
