The colourful strip running at the top of the EyeSight Foundation website pages is from “Complex Vision,” the kinetic sculpture by famed artist Yaacov Agam, often called the father of kinetic art. The sculpture originally was installed in 1976 on the front of the Callahan Eye Hospital at UAB. After years of exposure to the elements, and thanks to a fundraising effort that generated the hefty restoration price tag, it was taken down in 2014 and reinstalled in 2015. The EyeSight Foundation was a major contributor.
Alston Callahan, MD, the founder of the hospital and the primary force behind acquiring ‘Complex Vision,’ had a passion for art, coupled with his passion to help people with eye disease. The opportunity to see “Complex Vision” before and after eye surgery was—and continues to be thanks to the restoration—an amazing experience that patients can appreciate.
Under the guidance of Agam himself, officials at Callahan contracted Art Creations and Renovations, a company specializing in Agam’s works, to restore the badly weathered and faded sculpture to its original vibrant glory. Crews disassembled the 30-by-30-foot sculpture and shipped it to their studio in Florida in April 2014. Just shy of a year later, it came back.
“Complex Vision” comprises 69 aluminum panels, each 9 feet, 9 inches long by 13 inches wide and weighing roughly 50 pounds. The panels were stripped of the old paint and acid-washed. Etching primer and sealers were applied before the panels were repainted with the original colors approved by Agam himself. A clear coat that will protect the sculpture for years was then applied.
The piece has become synonymous with the hospital and there now is a detailed blueprint created by Agam and the restoration experts to aid and guide any future restoration needs.
https://www.uab.edu/news/campus/item/5911-colorful-agam-sculpture-returns-to-callahan-eye-hospital