By: Kelly Holdaway On: September 12, 2012 In: Blog Comments: 0

One of GGR’s UNIC mini cranes recently took on an unusual lifting challenge at one of London’s most famous and popular shopping destinations as it assisted in erecting a giant statue of iconic Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama at Selfridges department store on Oxford Street.

The fibreglass creation was installed above Selfridges’ main entrance to launch their new windows scheme and concept store which showcase the highly anticipated collaboration between fashion brand Louis Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama.

A UNIC URW-376 mini crane, controlled by one of GGR’s skilled crane operators, lifted the 500kg sculpture with precision to a height of 10.5 metres. The 2.9 tonne capacity mini crane worked efficiently overnight to lift the bubble-wrapped 6 metre tall model which features Kusama’s signature polka dot design. We hope that Kusama herself would appreciate that a Japanese manufactured mini crane with a matching red paint job was used to lift her statue into pride of place at Selfridges!

Our mini crane’s work featured on the Selfridges blog, Vogue blog and even in a series of Louis Vuitton videos about the creation and installation of the sculpture. Take a look at this Making Of video on the Louis Vuitton Youtube channel.

As our cranes can be quickly transported and set up on site, they are a practical solution for installing art, sculptures and temporary structures for exhibitions and promotions in restricted access environments such shopping centres and city centre locations.

GGR’s specialist lifting equipment has also previously been used in retail spaces such as Westfield Stratford City, where a host of UNIC mini cranes and glass vacuum lifters were used to fit glazing to over 200 shop fronts. Our Galizia pick and carry cranes have been used to replace broken windows at stores like Louis Vuitton and to lift steelwork at this Mulberry store.

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