\u201cTranslating to \u2018end of the century,\u2019 Fin de Si\u00e8cle<\/em> quietly overlooks the University and is a very timely, poignant piece that speaks to global human displacement and the experiences of loss of home,\u201d Salter said.<\/p>\n Recent restoration work on Fin de Si\u00e8cle was facilitated Bryan Cober, Associate Director, Projects and Structural Services, who worked on behalf the Brock University Art Collection to engage local businesses Ledwez Masonry and Barclay Painting.<\/p><\/div>\n Part of Brock\u2019s Lutz Teutloff collection, the sculpture was originally completed in 1997 by collective \u201cUnterbezirks Dada\u201d comprised of artists Cornel Wachter and Elmar de Saint Schmitt from Cologne, Germany.<\/p>\n Made from brick, steel, rail ties, concrete and photography, the sculpture was first displayed in Cologne before arriving at Brock University in 1999. Upon arrival, the work was slightly modified by the artists with the addition of a concrete suitcase, series of rail ties and a brick structure with a metal gate.<\/p>\n The recent restoration included painting and extensive masonry work to mitigate the long-term impacts of winter weather on the brick structure.<\/p>\n Viewers can peer into the sculpture to see a stone pedestal and a black and white photograph of a woman, perhaps waiting at a train station, on the back wall of the enclosure.<\/p>\n While the sculpture seems to reference the Holocaust at first glance, Salter said the emotional piece addresses human rights and freedoms across many instances of genocide and human displacement.<\/p>\n \u201cThe work is rich in symbolism and at the same time a very subtle piece. When you take a closer look, the elements and story start to reveal themselves,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Fifth-year History student and Curatorial Assistant Sarah Mclaughlin has been working alongside Salter conducting detailed research on the history of the artists and works in Brock\u2019s Lutz Teutloff collection, including Fin de Si\u00e8cle.<\/em><\/p>\n In addition to verifying historical information and contributing extensive written accounts, Mclaughlin, who is passionate about modern art and uncovering hidden stories of the past, is finding connections with local history.<\/p>\n \u201cFor example, the bowl of the wash basin seen in Fin de Si\u00e8cle<\/em> was created out of the original base for the 1877 monument for the \u2018Grave of an Unknown Brother,\u2019 which honours a freemason whose body washed ashore near Jordon Station in Lincoln, Ontario in 1877,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Working with Brock\u2019s art collection has been a valuable experience for Mclaughlin, allowing the History student to continue honing her research and writing skills while making contributions to the collection through knowledge mobilization.<\/p>\n Salter\u2019s team \u2014 which also includes Brianne Bousfield, a fourth-year Classics and Archaeology and History of Visual Culture student \u2014 connected with Wachter, one of the artists, who has been encouraging the Fin de Si\u00e8cle\u2019s <\/em>restoration remotely from Germany.<\/p>\n “We are currently constantly confronted with news about migration, flight and displacement. This is what the sculpture speaks of, and it is good to engage with these images again and again, to bring young people together with this problem of human coexistence and, in the best case, to evoke empathy in them for people whose roots have been violently severed and who are thus experiencing emotional suffering,\u201d Wachter said.<\/p>\n Salter said that Brock is fortunate to steward Fin de Si\u00e8cle<\/em> and the many meaningful artworks in its collection that will be part of ongoing restoration efforts.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are thankful to Nicole Nolan and the Library\u2019s commitment to our public art collection with the support of the Brock University Art Collection Committee and Bryan Cober in Facilities Management,\u201d she said. \u201cWe engage with a diverse collection that tells important stories and supports the rich interwoven fabric that is Brock University.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A new initiative is celebrating creative expression at Brock and helping to preserve the University\u2019s public artwork for future generations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":106599,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9794,37,1],"tags":[2701,14983,3577,8521,14986,14987,14984,30,24,14129,5796,14985],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106596"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=106596"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106596\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":106601,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106596\/revisions\/106601"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/106599"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=106596"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=106596"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=106596"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Trades](\"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2025-Restoration-2-copy-788x1050.jpg\")