Transporting art with precision
Spectacular projects from Heavydrive's 20-year history
"Transporting art involves more than simply moving objects from A to B. It’s about handling unique, often irreplaceable works whose value extends far beyond their material worth to encompass their cultural significance. This is exactly where we see what really matters: experience and a delicate touch", explains Günter Übelacker, Managing Director of Heavydrive. A review of operations over the last two decades highlights the wide range of challenges encountered and the need for solutions tailored to each individual situation.
Back in 2008, Heavydrive was responsible for transporting two extraordinary art installations by the installation artist Carsten Höller to the Guggenheim Museum in New York. The works "Revolving Hotel Room" and "Krutikow's Flying City Revolving" were made of steel and glass. The shipment was supplemented by a third exhibit, which also made it safely to the Guggenheim Museum. The largest element had a diameter of 3.2 metres (approx. 10.5 ft). To ensure safe transport by sea, Heavydrive developed custom-made transport frames, as the artworks' size and construction meant they could only be loaded into the overseas containers using specialised equipment. Thanks to the bespoke transport solution, both works of art arrived at the Guggenheim Museum safely, right on schedule, and were installed for the exhibition as planned. The artworks were then shipped on to Rotterdam.
For an exhibition at Zink Gallery in Seubersdorf, Upper Palatinate, Heavydrive transported two works by artist Rudolf Bott across an internal balcony almost 4.5 metres high. A steel table weighing around one tonne and a 400-kilogram wooden table had to be manoeuvred through confined spaces and across a delicate floor surface. The MRK 86.0 mini crane was used and was positioned on load distributing plates. The challenge lay in the low ceiling height and the narrow gap between the balustrade and the ceiling. Thanks to the tilting assembly tips, the artworks could be precisely positioned on the exhibition level without sustaining any damage. Rudolf Bott oversaw the work in person.
A completely different set of challenges awaited the Heavydrive team at the new office building of the Regens-Wagner Foundations in Dillingen, where they worked in collaboration with Erhard Brandl GmbH. The Foundation supports and empowers people with disabilities in Bavaria and Hungary. The project involved the installation of six artistically designed glass walls in the entrance area. Each element, weighing around 300 kilograms, had to be maneuvered through narrow doorways and winding passageways while taking into account the limited load-bearing capacity of the floor. Heavydrive used the MRK 55.0 S compact crane in combination with the VSG 450 K vacuum suction system. Thanks to the use of wooden boards to protect the floor and the crane's high manoeuvrability, the glass elements were installed safely and with precision.
An even greater challenge in terms of the weight and geometry of the exhibit was the relocation of an original section of the Berlin Wall to the German-German Museum in Mödlareuth. The heavy L-shaped section of wall was lifted using two MRK 195.0 assembly cranes in a tandem lift, rotated and secured onto a specially prepared pallet. After being transported to the new museum building, the exhibit was lifted once more, carried through a doorway into the building, and finally positioned precisely on a concrete plinth. The key factor was the safe handling of the historic section of wall.
The "missing link_" project in Düsseldorf demonstrates just how precise and, at the same time, swift such operations need to be. The project commemorates the destruction of the synagogue – and with it, the centre of Jewish life – during the November pogroms of 1938. For the light installation by the artist Mischa Kuball, Heavydrive, in collaboration with Derix Glasstudio GmbH & Co. KG, fitted a glass panel nine metres high and weighing 1.7 tonnes into a steel framework. The assignment was carried out under considerable time pressure, as the installation had to be completed shortly before the opening and while the road was closed. The MRK 195.0 assembly crane and the VSG 3500 KMH vacuum suction system were used. The key factor here was the interplay between size, weight and precise positioning from above within the steel frame.
For the exhibition "Florence and its painters: From Giotto to Leonardo da Vinci” at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, Heavydrive oversaw the dismantling of the glass display cases housing two valuable 15th-century works of art. Using an assembly lift and a suction system, the glass lintels were secured by suction from both sides simultaneously and lifted in a controlled manner. This allowed the showcases to be safely lifted over the "Titus Livius. De bello macedonico" manuscript from 1470 and the "Mary with Child" sculpture by Fra Filippo Lippi from 1465.
For the exhibition "Richard Avedon. Mural Photographs and Portraits" at the Brandhorst Museum in Munich, Heavydrive was entrusted with installing the protective screens for the large-format photographic murals. The glass panes, measuring up to 2.6 × 3.3 metres (approx. 8.5 × 10.8 ft), were fitted into U-shaped rails fixed to the floor. With the aid of a mini crane and a glass transport cart, a single operator was able to transport the panes safely through the museum and position them precisely in their designated places. The combination of specialised lifting and transport technology enabled the installation to be carried out in a controlled manner, even under the demanding conditions of a museum. A direct comparison shows just how efficient this approach is: At a previous exhibition in New York, ten people were still needed to install similar protective screens.
The projects demonstrate just how varied the requirements are when it comes to transporting artworks. To do so, Heavydrive combines specialised technology with experience gained across a wide range of assignments.
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