The icons that would dot different places in the evolving City of Destiny are getting ready at a workshop on the beach.
Tucked away behind the Shanti Ashram, artist Ramanamurthy is giving shape to the images that the GVMC believes would be the source of inspiration to the people of the city.
A 400-kg clay model of an attacking lioness ready to pounce from her perch on a rock is being given the finishing touches.
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This would be the base on which a fibreglass sculpture of the lioness would be prepared.
The muscles and sinews of a ready to leap lioness are clearly demarcated on the clay model and all the details would get transferred to the fibreglass sculpture, the artist explained.
The iconic wheel of Konark Sun Temple is also in the making. The 17- foot diameter fibreglass wheel would come up as a stand alone structure and the artist is consulting structural engineers to make it stand independently. The intricate details that would come up on the wheel are picked up from the mould using a gel coat which would take the shape of the finer details. The gel layer is backed by a putty layer and a fibreglass matt backing is provided to the putty. All put together form the fibreglass sculpture.
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It is a painstaking work and a team of 20 professional artists are working through the day to put together 15 iconic sculptures ordered by the GVMC to be installed at different traffic islands in the city. The high humidity and wet weather make it difficult to complete the clay model and nothing gets dry delaying the process.
They have already installed three sculptures and the artist is confident that in a month’s time he and his team would be able to deliver the balance of the 15 iconic structures to the GVMC.