So essentially this is one of the biggest paintings in the Collection, or classed with the
biggest. So we move it using the blue hoist which is a bespoke designed piece of equipment, designed
by Pat, the Head of Art Handling. So essentially due to the weight, the painting is supported by a
structural bracket that transfers the weight to the floor. So this piece of equipment allows us
to just lift it completely free of the bracket and then bring it down to the floor and safely
transport it through the galleries. So someone hop in the genies and we'll bring down the capitals.
That's the capitals at the top. I mean primarily we're taking them off to allow
us to have nice flat spaces on the frame to be able to hold hold it and manipulate it,
they're purely decorative. Kasper: Shall we just carry it through? Tom: Yeah
Okay just that is pretty perfect, okay, brakes on.
Okay so that's kind of the hoist assembled. I mean essentially this
gives us an armature that pretty much wraps entirely around the painting
to safely lift it down to ground level. Okay . You're clear of the plinth. Are you alright for us
to come straight back? Do you want us to just come out a little way so you can get...? Kasper: Yeah no it's okay,
this one's not flushed to the wall at the top One two three
Okay.
Tine's locked off. Are you guys alright for us to come down? Kasper: Yep
Yeah okay.
So that's now fully down and secured. Using this system it can now be transported through the
galleries like that. It can be temporarily stored like that and then reinstalled directly off that.
A solution that gives us a way to kind of minimalise handling of the work. Most of what we
use is designed in-house, from the fixings we put things on the wall with, to the trolleys,
the lifting equipment I mean. This was designed by Pat. The yellow trolley was designed by myself.
Everything's very bespoke because it's a very niche kind of requirement to move pictures but then
we're also quite lucky it's just a paintings collection here we can kind of specialize and
create solutions. Kasper: Any small to medium-sized works that we can lift off by hand can just go on
the yellow trolleys, and then silver is larger heavier things that need stacker trolleys, then
blue is the heaviest things like altarpieces. So that's kind of how they're coded, so we know
what equipment to bring with us. Because of the building work that's going to happen for NG200
we have to take the works off the wall in the Sainsbury Wing just to protect them from the vibrations.
We're not actually changing these galleries but because of the vibrations we're taking them down
for protection. So lots of the highlight paintings are going to be moved into the main wing so that
the public can still see them. So tomorrow this is going to go up on the wall in the main building of
the gallery. Like normally in art handling we try and do all the work in the galleries before the
Gallery opens at 10 o'clock, so we normally come in at eight, try and do all the jobs so that the
public don't sort of have to be disturbed by our goings on. But because the Sainsbury Wing is so big
a project, we have to do it during opening hours, so we've screened off these rooms.
Tom: Yeah there's probably only, trying to think now, maybe a dozen or so pictures in the Collection
where we use the blue hoist in full with its towers. They sort of become like the
set piece moves where everybody kind of has a role and it all comes together pretty quick,
but it takes a lot of planning Kasper: And also this one, we're quite lucky because it's not too tall.
Some of the altarpieces are so tall that just to get out of the room, to get out of the wing, we have
to lay them down and put them on their side, and that becomes a lot more stressful just because of
the weight of things involved, and when something's so tall the people on the ground can't actually
help you until it's nearly level. Tom: NG1, that will be moved yeah I mean that even to move
it between rooms in the Gallery takes two days so it's, that's a huge undertaking. Things this
big are quite difficult to move. Back here tomorrow morning for the movement and then the installation.
So we're gonna head through to Room 11
and just kind of get everything set up in there before we take this through just so
we've got as much working space as possible through there. It's probably the smallest
room we've ever hung altarpieces so yeah. -It's not been in there before? No.
-Yeah. -Yeah. -It's nice and straight.
-2017 -117 Tom: Cool so essentially that's where we just secure the bracket. This takes the full weight of
the altarpiece, transfers all the load to the floor. Obviously the altarpieces were designed
to be kind of architectural features. Some of them are pretty heavy. The safe working load on the blue
hoist is up to 400 kilos so this is really for the heaviest things in the Collection. So yesterday we
were working with the tower configuration, which gives us a kind of complete solid base to work
around the piece. Because we've got slightly more restricted access in here with the octagonal shape
of the room, we're going to be working off the genies instead of installing the towers.
So measure off the inside edge of the tine to the outside edge of the bracket.
We'll just come over this way a touch first. Watch Tom's toes. Okay uh 28.
[Taking measurements]
So I'll spot the height and then I'll come around the front.
Alright if you guys are on the tines we'll start coming up.
It's got maybe another eight inches.
Okay yeah height-wise you're good. Alright ready? One two three.
Nice that's great. Back to the wall. Okay if you guys in the genies can just keep it
fraction off the fabric and then we just come gently down.
Great. Tines back in.
So essentially that's now installed and everything from here is just kind
of finessing it to get it up to kind of a display point.
So especially with rooms like this that
are kind of key thoroughfares for the Gallery, we do all of the work
pre-10:00 so everything happens before the visitors arrive as much as possible. We do that with all our
rehangs to try and keep all the rooms as open as much as possible for everyone.
Laura: It's kind of the hidden side of the Gallery.
Before visitors come through the doors. Tom: Yeah, it does mean we get to hang out here when it's quiet which is nice.
Laura: Spend some time with the pictures. Actually of the limited options that we have
for hanging these big Italian altarpieces this is one of the better spaces in terms of, each one of
them has their own wall so they are given a bit of room to breathe in a way that they might not
have been otherwise if we'd put them in other galleries. Tom: It's quite an imposing room now isn't it?
Laura: I know. I mean this one is, when this one changes it's going to be a real pièce de résistance. I'm happy.