With a demanding process in three phases that lasted a total of about 15 hours and in the presence of the sculptor Costas Varotsos, the “Runner” was cleaned, the glass sculpture that since 1995 adorns the square of the Great School of the Nation, opposite the Hilton Hotel in Athens.
“Because of the location of the sculpture, there are substances that sit on the glass. We are not talking about simple dust but mainly about pollutants, which means that a special cleaning process is required “, explains to APE-MPE the deputy mayor in charge of cleaning and recycling, Nikos Avramidis. The last time the “Runner” was cleaned was in 2014. And this time, as in the previous ones (in 2003, 2012 and 2014), a laboratory test was performed to ensure the best possible result, while the method emerged after from a study by the University of Stuttgart.
“The” Runner “is a landmark for the city. In the context of the change of mentality of the cleaning of Athens, we now include the monuments, the statues, which are characteristic of our city, in the process of maintenance “, says Mr. Avramidis, informing that the Athenians can now have the expectation that the sculpture will remain clean, after the specialized company Karcher adopted it and undertook its cleaning at regular intervals.
As for the process itself, the sculpture was initially sprayed with foamers for more than 4 hours, during which time it was kept in a moist environment so that it did not dry out at any point. In the second phase, the “Runner” was rinsed with water at a temperature of 60 degrees Celsius and with measured pressure, so as not to cause damage, while at the end it was rinsed again with deionized water to avoid spots from salts on the glass surfaces. In the near future, with the actions of the Municipality of Athens, restoration works of the glass pieces will follow, as well as a static check of the sculpture, while a relevant documentation issue and a digital three-dimensional imprint of the sculpture will emerge.
K. Varotsos at APE-BPE: Modern works are the memory of the city – Alas, if we do not take care of them
“Not only the” Runner “but all works of art in public need care. “Like all objects outdoors, they must have, depending on the type of work, a level of maintenance with the appropriate, separate protocols and there must be a maintenance and restoration program” underlines the sculptor Costas Varotsos in APE-MPE, adding that ” it is the obligation of the municipalities to take care of the works of art and to do what is required for each work because this serves the cause of the public space “.
Describing a “global problem”, as he characterizes it, Mr. Varotsos emphasizes that “municipalities, not all of course, tend to abandon projects because there is no organized way of care.” “The ‘Runner’ has been without lighting for so many years, it has been left unwashed for so many years, and of course there must be a structural control of all the works,” says the sculptor.
“Modern works are essentially the memory of the city. They are the works born in the city by artists that most of them live in and express our own culture. It is a reference point of the cultural production of each place, alas, that is, if we do not take care of them “notes Mr. Varotsos, adding, however, that” this of course also applies to sidewalks and streets “.
In fact, the internationally renowned sculptor restores a truth. “The works are not endangered by the people. There is an idea that people are vandalizing works. This is a lie. The projects are essentially endangered by the authorities, by the people who are responsible for taking care of them. Because they are responsible for their own lives. If, say, you abandon a project, it will become a garbage dump. Then they will come and do graffiti on it. They will come because it will be a garbage dump so everyone will do what they want “says Mr. Varotsos and adds” when you place a project in a city it is like placing it in a natural space. Nature usually eats, oxidizes, assimilates and destroys everything you put inside it. So is the city. The surrounding area must be taken care of “. Referring to “simple logic” that should be treated as a “technical issue”, Mr. Varotsos referred to the case that a plane tree was planted next to his sculpture, with the result that soon the branches whip the work.
“Dromeas”, which was first placed in Omonia Square in 1988, was originally presented under the name “Xenos”. “I wanted to make a man who is this traveler that as soon as you meet him you say ‘when did you come?’ and the next question you ask him is “when are you leaving?”. He is the eternal traveler. The man who leaves behind his memory. You see the runner and you do not have a detail from the work, but you have a feeling that you have left “Mr. Varotsos explains to APE-MPE and adds” He is like the man you see every now and then, whose memory stays in mind and you think “where is he now? He’s gone, he’s going somewhere, he’s traveling”. “This perpetual movement of man on the planet, and of course this is terribly undermined today because we see how we treat immigrants today and all these people who move to find a better life, we treat them like criminals.”
However, the sculptor accepted the name that prevailed because “this stranger I describe is also a runner, he is a runner of life. The logic of the long-distance runner is connected to the stranger, this symbolizes. The runner who starts from a goal to get somewhere else. That’s why I accepted it. ” “They are people who go beyond their limits, starting from one point to another, this is the characteristic of the stranger himself, the traveler. That is why the Marathon that takes place in Athens is an international event. It is not a local Greek event “says Mr. Varotsos, who even created this year’s medal of the Athens Marathon that will take place in the coming days.
“I believe in the traveler, I believe in the foreigner, I believe in the man who wants to build a better life and occupy his own home, which is the planet,” concludes Mr. Varotsos.
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