Rosette Bobbin

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Rosette Bobbin in June 2008

Rosette Bobbin (cast 2005, installed 2006) is a cast-iron sculpture by artist Vaughn Randall, and the winner of the 2005-06 Samuel B. Barker Outdoor Sculpture Competition held by UAB.

The judging was based on a model of the finished work, and the award provided $25,000 toward completion of the full-scale 4-ton piece. The disc-shaped sculpture sits on its edge and is pierced by a pattern of lacy openings which evoke the tracery of the stained-glass rose window on the Spencer Honors House nearby, as well as the form of an industrial bobbin. Work on the design details and patterns was accomplished at Sloss Furnaces, where Randall was working with the Sloss Metal Arts program.

The patterns for the casting, which was to have been completed in Gulfport, Mississippi for installation in late fall 2005, were thought to have been lost during Hurricane Katrina. After they were finally recovered, castings were done at four separate foundries to complete the work.

It was installed on UAB's campus on August 17, 2006 using two 22-ton cranes. It was allowed to weather naturally for a year before the patina was sealed.

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