UNIQUE FORMS OF CONTINUITY IN SPACE

Back to basics

 

Unique Forms of Continuity in Space started out as a plaster in 1913. There is no known record of Boccioni himself wanting to cast any of his plaster sculptures in metal during his lifetime, so the fact that Unique Forms of Continuity in Space is today almost universally represented as a metal sculpture is not according to his wishes. F.T. Marinetti was the first to cast the work in 1933 (currently on display at the Museo del Novecento in Milan). His aim was to better preserve it for posterity, since the plaster had already started to deteriorate. To date, 18 casts have been made, eleven of which are copies of already existing casts (so called surmoulages). 

​

Boccioni’s original 1913 plaster Unique Forms of Continuity in Space still exists and is housed at the Museu de Arte Contemporânea da Universidade de São Paulo (MAC USP) in Brazil. Historical photographs show that the sculpture’s appearance has changed over time, largely due to multiple restoration efforts in 1960, 1971, and 1986. These interventions aimed to repair cracks and damage caused by handling, transport, and display, but they also altered the original form. The effects of these changes are visible in the plaster itself and are even more noticeable in various metal casts made from it.

 

While some minor differences in metal versions are expected — due to the natural shrinkage that occurs during casting — the significant deviations seen in the first metal cast from 1933 are particularly surprising. That cast was made before any of the restorations, yet it differs greatly from both the original and later versions.

​

A 3D comparison study by Magalhães and Zuffo (2017) shows that the 1933 metal cast closely resembles the current version of the MAC USP plaster. Although layers of paint and varnish were definitely applied during the casting process, it remains unclear whether this, combined with shrinkage, fully explains the substantial differences. Since no photos exist from the 1933 casting, further research is needed to understand these discrepancies.

In order to match Unique Forms of Continuity in Space more closely with the reconstructed striding sculptures, it was therefore felt necessary to make a photogrammetric copy (essentially a 3D scan) of the metal version, then digitally “reverse engineer” it back to its original state with the help of the 1913 photographs of the plaster.

 

The London Tate Modern copy (cast from the MAC USP plaster in 1972) was digitised in high resolution and used as a starting point for the process (2). An in-depth analysis and careful comparison of the 1913 photographs (3a and 3b) with corresponding ones of the Tate Modern cast (4) provided the information needed for making the necessary sculptural changes in the 3D software. At this stage, it was discovered that the cast's upper torso is slightly tilted to the left compared to the 1913 photographs. It therefore seems that the casting was done in two parts that were later combined. Overall, the emerging 1913 Unique Forms of Continuity in Space is much tauter and has sharper defined features than the restored plaster, not to mention the casts (5).

 

A small 1:4 scale 3D print of this reconstruction was exhibited at Estorick Collection in 2019. It is currently the closest existing approximation to Boccioni's original conception of Unique Forms of Continuity in Space, and a full-scale version will be 3D printed in late 2022.

​

References:

Magalhães, A. G., & Zuffo, M. K. (2017). Aquisição e avaliação 3D da escultura Formas Únicas da Continuidade no Espaço, de Umberto Boccioni. Revista USP, (110), 86-103. https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2316-9036.v0i110p86-103

​

[Published April 2020]

​

UPDATE

A revised full-scale version of Unique Forms of Continuity in Space has been 3D printed and assembled (6).

​

[Published December 2022]