News | Monday, 29th November 2021

A novel approach to displaying a fragile sculpture

Special Collections Museum and MSc Industrial Digitisation student create a unique 3D printed replica of ‘A Flutter of Birds’.

A first-of-its-kind sculpture can be seen in the exhibition ‘Mitzi Cunliffe: An American in Manchester’ at the Grosvenor Gallery running until 10 December 2021.

The 3D printed sculpture is a collaboration between MScs. Industrial Digitisation student Ursula Ackah and our conservator Alison Draper. It is a half-size replica of the original sculpture ‘A Flutter of Birds’ held by the Special Collections Museum.

‘A Flutter of Birds’ was created by sculptor Mitzi Cunliffe in the early 1960s, best known for her iconic BAFTA mask trophy. Created for the window display of Henry’s Department store in Piccadilly, Manchester, this sculpture was unknown outside of the University. Unable to be displayed due to its size, huge weight and poor condition, it has spent many years carefully packed away and stored.

For her Masters thesis, Ursula scanned the original sculpture and, over the course of many months, built up an accurate 3D model of each of the 26 birds. The model was printed out at Print City and then oil gilded by the traditional method in the Special Collections Conservation Laboratory. This highly accurate model is a unique combination of the latest 3D printing technology and the heritage craft of gilding.