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Chips fly at college (video)

Chisels started striking marble on Thursday as the Bergen Rocks sculpture symposium got underway at Red Deer College with a group of international stone carvers.
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Mongolian sculptor Amagalan Tsevegmid gets help from Morton Burke as he begins work at the Bergen Rocks sculpture symposium Thursday.


Chisels started striking marble on Thursday as the Bergen Rocks sculpture symposium got underway at Red Deer College with a group of international stone carvers.

For the first time, this year’s event, which features seven sculptors from Italy, Korea, China, Turkey and Mongolia, is being held in Red Deer rather than the remote hamlet of Bergen.

Symposium founder Morton Burke hopes the greater accessibility will mean more members of the public drop by to see the monolithic works being created. He anticipates surpassing the 2,500 visitors who saw last year’s symposium.

“After witnessing how exciting it is, people will want to tell their friends,” said the sculptor, who started the sculpture event on his own ranch four years ago after participating in similar symposiums in other countries.

Burke initially tried getting various municipalities and even large businesses involved as sponsors, but they weren’t interested. “I thought if it seems overwhelming for a city like Calgary to hold it, a hillbilly sculptor like me can hold it on my own property in Bergen to demonstrate that it’s possible to do this,” he joked.

After seeing last year’s symposium, Red Deer Mayor Morris Flewwelling and Red Deer College president Joel Ward were so impressed they proposed bringing Bergen Rocks to the city this summer to raise its profile.

Ward believes holding the sculpture symposium on college grounds will also increase the range of educational opportunities RDC makes available to the public.

“We’re all about the cultural, social and economic development of Central Alberta,” said Ward, who hopes students participating in the college’s Series summer arts program will be among those who stop by to see the sculptors at work.

“I’m hoping the community turns out in droves,” said Flewwelling, who looks forward to seeing “the release of the images from the stone.”

Among the sculptures that were chosen out of 178 international submissions are an abstract rabbit and a rising phoenix.

Chinese sculptor Li Chao chose a rabbit shape in honour of the birth of his four-month-old son, and also because this is the Chinese Year of the Rabbit. He said he’s excited about his first visit to Canada, in part, because he intends to visit his Vancouver-based sister after the symposium wraps up on Aug. 28.

Turkish sculptor Ebru Akinci plans to carve five figures on the rising phoenix theme because she’s interested in the spiritual aspects of transformation, rebirth and the circle of life.

“I like to share the experience of creating my art with others,” said Akinci, who has participated in other sculpture symposiums around the world.

Five of the seven sculptures that will be created will eventually be relocated to Burke’s Bergen ranch, 45 km southwest of Olds. The other two will remain in Red Deer.

Anyone interested in seeing the stone carving in progress can follow the signs on RDC grounds, park in lot A, then walk to the east awning of the Four Centres Building. Sculptors will be working outdoors from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. six days a week (the symposium is closed on Tuesdays) to Aug. 28.

A donation box will be available for contributions towards the costs.

For anyone who wants to get even more involved, Burke said volunteer assistants are still needed to help the sculptors carve. “If you can wield a chisel and hammer, you can assist.”

For more information, call 403-342-3130.

lmichelin@www.reddeeradvocate.com