Genius Story

Digital Reproduction: Genius of Connecticut

The Story:
In 1878 the original seventeen foot tall bronze "Genius of Connecticut" sculpture was poised atop the Connecticut State House's 180 foot tall dome. Sixty years later it was taken down after a hurricane made it unstable. Shortly thereafter in 1942 she was melted down to provide metal for ammunition and machines for World War II.

Fast forward another 40 years and an original plaster version of the sculpture was found in storage in pieces. The plaster was assembled and painted bronze and put on display in the lobby of the State House. In the early 2000's plans were made and funds were raised to recreate the bronze sculpture and place it back in it's original place atop the dome.

Traditional mold making would prove to be a risky approach for recreating the relic. The weight of the mother mold could have been too much for the long arms and wings to support. The chemicals involved in mold making also presented issues since the sculpture couldn't be moved and was situated indoors a public place. For this project the best option was to digitally reproduce the sculpture using the latest in digital technology. return to full slide show

The Challenge:
Polich Tallix foundry was commissioned to make an exact replica of a 17 foot tall plaster sculpture in bronze without moving the sculpture and without making a mold of the original. return to full slide show

The Solution:

Developed stabilization strategy to scan at height with high resolution wide beam laser scanner
3D laser scan the sculpture on-site
Compile high resolution digital model
Rapid-prototype an 8 inch model for form approval
Separate the wreaths from arms and head for building in large scale rapid prototype
5-axis mill remainder of sculpture in 10 lb foam
Physical models delivered to Polich Tallix foundry
Polich Tallix used models as casting patterns and cast the bronze sculpture using lost wax casting

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