The secret of the pine cone

The end of the summer is wrapping up. Bursts of color are erupting over the mountains as trees, shrubs and other foliage battles the cold nights. I have been learning the secret of the pine cone, and this plant matter will not change, ever.



At Custom Iron Design I have learned a tremendous amount of knowledge pertaining to random skills for metal working, similar to the random things learned through life. To much philosophy dumbs down the act of creation. I made pine cones, and lots of them for a pool table chandelier.



Additionally, the last artSPOT artwork was installed, capping off the project for my part, however it may continue... I was allowed to demolish and remove the Chevron'ness of the sign, and it was immediatly transformed into a sculpture zone.
Think of the possibility of a public art gallery, exhibiting fine art and design for everyone to enjoy. Utopian dreams, but maybe a reality someday.

Burning Man and the dust devils of Black Rock City

Welcome to the Playa of Black Rock City, home of Burning Man.




I am drawn to the event, held in the desert of northern Nevada for the awe inspiring and often interactive large-scale art. I made the promise to myself that this would be the only way I would return and attend another Burning Man - For the purpose of creating sculpture on the Playa, a gigantic open canvas of expression.



I was the chief engineer of our shade structure, and what a ride that was. After a group consensus, the structure was plotted out 50% longer than originally planned, increasing the deadly surface area of the sail-like structure.



A de-commissioned hot air balloon served as the shade, although it acted as a heat barrier and soon we were baking inside the structure. Vents and multiple layers of fabric were the logical solution...However this had its downfall which was unpredictable by us 'virgins'.



Low and behold, Black Rock City is privy to the extreme and unrelenting forces of the desert climate. Far away in the deep playa, on a art appreciaiton journey, a dust storm hit. The air was as thick as black coffee with dust and 50 mph winds, and it was soon painful to open an eye behind sunglasses. Thankfully, we hitched a ride with a hardy art car equipped with a live band on the second story. It serindipidously headed back to its home base, a mere 1/4 mile from our camp. The winds had run amok in our camp, and the vents cut just that morning to relieve us from the heat had bled wind into the structure, ripping and tearing the middle section away. If it wasn't for quick thinking and haggard knife hacking, we might have lost the entire structure.



In another endeavor, hammock bikes were fabricated for the playa. We chopped a bike in half, flipping the back and putting it in the front while placing the front in the rear for steering. All in all a chillin ride.



All in all the event was a spectacular experience in self reliance and problem solving, mixed in with a deep respect for nature and the 50,000 crazies that convene in the desert to share their energy, projects and company for one week. The image above tells it all, with a formation of planes that departed from the airport in Black Rock City, to display the icon of Burning Man in the sky for all to see.

Sustainable Design Residency

Recently submitted-A Sustainable Design Residency proposal to DuPont. Maybe the idea will develop into a couple month stay at the Corian® factory in Buffalo NY. If implemented, I would focus my attention on immedaite and long-term solutions to reduce the quantity of waste, specifically flashing from injection molding, sent to the landfill.

Whew. That was about 3 months of pondering about the possibility. Lets wait and see what happens...



Might as well post an image as well to keep it exciting. A view from the top of the Sleeping Indian in Jackson WY.

artSPOT- The race is ON

the artSPOT project is an idea I had when I was in Jackson Hole in the winter of 06-07. A forgotten sign structure was wrapped in black plastic for who knows how long. It was a perfect opportunity to display public art. After a few phone calls to the owner of the lot, the project sprouted. A call for artists was made, drawings were prepared, and when all was said and done, the lot was sold to the Rocky Mountain Bank. Square one, once again. At least I had all the foot work done previously.



Now the race is on. The project has been re-approved, and the first series of artwork is installed. One Barn Chicken mural created using free paint swatches from hardware stores, and a gigantic osprey nest using landfill bound tree clippings were recently installed, Ha Hoooo.

Production Junction, Whats the function?

A waste of materials? No, its waste material. Corian® flashing from injection molded sinks, configured for a prototype bench. 400 or so pieces to cut, drill, sand and cut twice more. Gia Michael likes the project, and has been helping route, sand and grind the material. The end result has very little tolerance and flucuations in 400 or so pieces. Less than 2% failure.



It is reminiscent of geology and striated landscapes.

Badda Bing

In twelve hours, six tons of lamp poles were erected. The resulting sculpture was charged with light, and then viewed at night as a mass of glowing lines hanging in the air. Perfect.

Plop

40 Lamp poles have plopped. The sculpture was constructed efficiently in under 15 hours. Thats very nice. Wasting time is not an option.



In the grand scheme of things, we caught these poles at the perfect time, between usable and unusable. A gray area where stuff is free because its is still in condition, and should be put to some use. They are like a fine wine for art purposes, aged to perfection. Pragmatism is paramount.

The final step...

Here we are. Signing a building permit. Hopefully it was all worth it. Hopefully the planning board thinks so as well. Hopefully the residents of Alfred are cool with what we have developed over the past 3/4 of a year. Ahhhhh.



And here are some final renderings of the site plan and whatnot

Macro to Micro

Photography in macro scale. I was blown away by my camera putting its entire processing power into this one blade of grass, while a 12,000 lb 120' long sculpture loomed behind it.

oye yo the snow is coming..

As of November 2nd the Arches stand. The question now is if the art math and engineering will hold up to the elements. The 30 arches stand on top of a hill in Andover Ny. The weekend before we started the installation, 60 mph winds were present on top. Our prime rib stakes that hold the sculpture static are of concern, even if they are 4 feet deep and support the structure with cable rated at a combined 14,000 Lb breaking strength. We will give it one week, or until the next sunny day to de-install. This was a structure test, and we will use the results as clout for installing the arches on campus in the spring.

We are now halfway into the endeavor. The remaining duties are de-installation and a returning the poles to their original location. Hope it doesn't snow a foot...

The ball is rolling.

Mamma Jamma! Your Arch is connected to your turnbuckle and your turnbuckle is connected to your prime rib 4' ground stake, and all that makes the world turn around. Soon some super sexy swinging subtle curves will change the face of this remote plot of land in Andover Ny. Maybe 20 people will see this sculpture, but the documentation will be quite fruitful, for we hope to eventually move this beast on campus, in the public eye. hahahahahah

One step at a time

Well, Matt and I bucked up and rented a 24' U-Haul. It is capable of moving 18,000lbs, and that is good because we have 12,000lbs of lamp posts to move. The project has been on hold for a while because we couldn't secure a time and date for moving the poles with Glen Zweygardt's sculpture truck with crane attachment.

Moving along with the arches

Matt and I will continue to work on different aspects of the arches throughout the year. This stepping stone is a full scale mock up. We worked with Robby who konws Auto CAD and calculated out the specific distances of the arch widths.

We then plotted the measurements on Diane Cox's property. Her plot of land is located in Andover, Ny and we are grateful for the chance to use it for a testing ground.

This week we will hopefully move 60- 25 foot tall lamp posts up to her property using Glen Zwygardts sculpture truck. The total weight of the load will be 12,000 pounds. Getcher muscles pumped!!!

Arches in action

These are 15 foot lamp posts. We have hooked them up to Matt's winch to make life easy as cheese. This was a test to see how we could lift the arches. Alot was learned and now we move forward.

Pop till you Drop

The financially sustainable show. Weehoo!!! So here is the deal. This show was aimed at providing an experience so tantilizing you would sell almost anything to be the one person allowed in. 2500 Balloons filled a space. Two gloves covered with 600 tacks a piece. An auction where items or services are donated to me. The person that sells the item or service for the highest bid gets the gloves. Time is money, so if the highest selling item was 24 dollars, you get 24 seconds in the room with the gloves.



Crazy Steve donated an iPod nano with headphones, speakers, and charging bay. It sold for $180. This donation came out of left field, after Steve donated 5 hours of labor, trying to get the gloves. His labor went for $15. The second highest item was a service by Dina. Within 3 hours of a call, she would bake a fresh apple pie and deliver it to your doorstep, any time of day or night. This went for $23, and Steve decided to give Dina the gloves. $180=3 minutes, after which Dina emerged from the room a changed person. About 150 Balloons remained for everyone else who participated to enjoy.

You should patent that...

Ah the hammock boat. I do enjoy bringing out the buddies and buddets to join in a rousing float in the hammocks. The experience is unmatched in relaxation. Bring a grill, some tunes and float away down a scenic river to the tune of innovation.

Up = Down

Free is the best thing in the world. When people or industry produces excess material it is perfect for artistic expression. Newspapers everywhere always produce end rolls- newsprint on a spool and lots of it. We decided to make giant graphics made of newsprint to roll down a hill a mile away from school. The piece was viewable with a telescope.

Construction of the beast

Onward to the creation of the 30' diameter projection screen. It was a feat of engineering and intuition that resulted in a spectacular dislplay of multiple monitors and a spining projector displaying one chap walking around the circular display screen.

The Longest Winter

Here we gooooo. 30' diameter circular projection screen, lots a hot dogs, newsprint up the wazoo, and a show to stop the circus. Picts will be posted soon after...

2x4x80

2x4x80
4x6x270
Numbers. Wow. So we dug these 16' 2x4's out of the dumpster. Pretty incredible what people throw away. The next step was to attach all five together end to end to create a good ole swoop. Sculpture. Done.