UBC Reports | Vol. 51 | No. 2 | Feb. 3, 2005

Timepiece 1971

Students Around "Tuning Fork" Sculpture (1971)

By Chris Hives, University Archives

Long a campus landmark outside the Music Building, the 24-foot "Tuning Fork" sculpture was created by local artist Gerhard Class in 1968.

Critics observed with some dismay that the sculpture began to rust soon after its installation. Unknown to them, Class deliberately crafted the piece out of corten steel specifically because of its tendency to "rust" naturally to provide a protective barrier for the underlying metal. However, the sculpture did deteriorate to the point it had to be removed in the late 1990s as it became too rusty and was considered a hazard.

A few years after the death of Class some of his colleagues worked to have the sculpture repaired, reinforced and reinstalled in the summer of 1999.