UH.edu // Sara Tubbs // 08.19.19: “Orbit I” (1968), one of the first artworks purchased for the Public Art of the University of Houston System collection nearly 50 years ago, has made a welcome return to the UH campus. The recently restored and refreshed Camphor wood sculpture has found a new home in the lobby of the Ezekiel Cullen Building.
The large-scale piece by Japanese-born artist Masaru Takiguchi was originally installed in 1970 in the lobby of the Science & Research 1 building. It was removed several years ago when the SR1 building underwent interior renovations. The piece was placed in a storage facility until it could be properly conserved. Over time, cracks known in the art conservation world as “checks,” formed in the smoothly carved wood from shrinkage due to being in a dry environment. Art conservator Robert Marshall and his team spent two months restoring the  historic piece.