Mammoth exhibition challenges
Here on the AnArt4Life blog we have the broadest of definitions of what constitutes art - from paintings, sculptures, tapestries, to vehicles...
Most of us learn about these products of creativity and skill through reading internet posts that are provided by websites such as ours. Many of us are also fortunate enough to attend galleries and museums to view and learn from exhibitions.
Recently Jane showcased the Vincent van Gogh at The Lume - A Multi-Sensory Digital Art Gallery and I am sure you would have been in awe of the herculean effort involved in such a production of digital art.
But today we are going to marvel at another herculean exhibition task - because of the sheer size of the items and the distance involved to make it happen.
Recently AnArt4Life contributor John Pickup, OAM alerted us to the titanic train trek that was undertaken in 2013 in order to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the A4 Pacific Mallard steam locomotive becoming the fast train in the world.
Thirty-five A4 Pacific locomtives were built during the 1930s, and for many, these represent the pinnacle of all steam trains, a work of art in their own right, with their sleek, aerodynamic noses and covers over the side wheels.
For the first time, on 3 July 1938, the Mallard reached a speed of 126 miles per hour in travelling between London and Edinburgh.
To celebrate the 75th anniversay of this milestone, on 3rd July 2013, an audacious plan was hatched to reunite together the six remaining A4 Pacific locomotives (from the 35 originally built).
If it could be pulled off, it would be a once-in-a-lifetime celebration at the National Rail Museum in York, England.
The only trouble was that two of the locomotives were thousands of kilometres across the Atlantic, with one in Montreal, Canada, and the other in Green Bay, Wisconsin, America.
What could possiby go wrong !!????
If you are a regular reader of the AnArt4Life blog you will know that John Pickup and our Julie love anything at all to do with trains. In fact, at different times, they have both been to the National Rail Museum in York!
Julie describes it as a mecca for train tragics, as it hold the largest collection of rolling stock in the world, with over 6000 exhibits and over 100 actual trains, from Robert Stephenson's original 1829 Rocket, through to the Flying Scotsman and a Japanese bullet train! All magnificent mechanical works of art.
The 50 minute video below demonstrates the incredible effort involved in getting the 2 locomotives across the Atlantic and into the public arena in York to reunite together the six remaining A4 Pacifics for this special 75th anniversary. It's well worth watching!
But if you are wondering what has any of this to do with art - you should see the amazing digital art work used in the production of the video - a field we are keen to bring to you more often so that we also move with the times.
But did the two locomotives make this mammoth trek in time for the 75th speed anniversary?
YES, THEY DID, as evidenced by these iconic, once in a lifetime photos below.
Wouldn't it have been wonderful to have seen it!
Thank you to John Pickup for bringing this to our attention!
P.S. If you would like to know a bit more about each of the individual locos that make up the six remaining A4 Pacific locomotives that were reunited in July 2013, please click here.