A sculpture commission for Rodney Wayne

 "36 steps"
by Olivier Duhamel

March 2011

"36 steps"

Proposal
I have been commissioned in February 2011 to create a trophy sculpture for Rodney Wayne hair salon. The objective of the project is to create a small bronze sculpture representing 36 steps to be gifted as an award.

The drawing below was to illustrate my original idea.

Prior art
A thorough Google search for "Spiral steps"  "spiral stairs" "spiral sculpture", "spiral stairs sculpture" "stairs sculpture", "Steps sculptures" or "staircase sculpture"  or "stairway sculpture"  and "tapering spiral staircase sculpture" shows that the spiral shape has been widely used in art and architecture. However this particular shape does not appear to have been previously done.

In New Zealand and to the best of my knowledge, only two pieces could be seen as vaguely reminiscent of this project:

                        
"Steps in Time" by Vicky Savage                "Stairways to Heaven" by David McCracken
 

I believe that the concept of  steps and that of a spiral to be sufficiently generic for the combination of the two not infringe on anybody's intellectual property.

Prototype

This image shows the first prototype in paper.

I then created a wax model

Which was refined an presented to the customer for approval and sign off.

Here are images of the final bronze sculpture delivered in March 2011

Reference

"April 2011

To Whom it may Concern

The final result of the sculpture commissioned with Olivier Duhamel is absolutely outstanding.

Above the excellence of the creative work everything was done on time and to plan and we are thrilled with the outcome.

Richard Smith

Rodney Wayne Board Chairman"

Some other commissions...