Brainstorming

We’re deep in the production phase of these stationary sculptures. And here’s an interesting logistical challenge we’ve faced: How do you get something 17 feet long cross country without spending a small fortune on freight? Break it down, of course. But the second caveat? It must be relatively simple to reassemble.

It took some serious brainstorming sessions, but we nailed down the perfect way to break down the rods in a way that significantly reduces the length, ensures a simple reassembly, and (most importantly) maintains the piece’s structural integrity. We’re always pleased what a little brainstorming can produce!

Inspiration

Matt's trip to the National Gallery last month provided an inspiration breakthrough for the stationary sculptures we're currently working on. He noticed that Calder's huge mobile in the lobby was actually scaled up from a small mobile: everything was proportional—the wires, the shapes, everything was huge. When scaled up, the shapes were no longer flat, but had enough thickness to be visually interested from every plane.

So, Matt did the same thing: when scaling up the dimensions of our sculpture's initial model, he ensured the shapes had enough thickness to look substantial from every direction. But it threw off the piece's balance. So we remedied it by adding a small hole (which will be concealed when complete) to add counterweights in the hollow shapes.

And now we wonder whether Calder's mobile needed counterweights, too...

Sand Springs High School

It's always a relief when we install and complete a project without a hitch. In this case, Matt and Ben just returned from lovely Sand Springs, Oklahoma, where they installed this mobile in the local high school's new fine arts facility. Here are photos of the installation process.

The Master

Matt and family visited Washington D.C. over Memorial Day weekend. Their priority destination was the Calder exhibit at the National Gallery, which they unanimously agreed was stunning.

And the gigantic mobile in the lobby? Also stunning. And gigantic. After a lengthy observation, Matt's daughter declared, "Daddy, I can't get enough of this mobile."

Powder Coating 102

Here’s an overview of the actual powder-coating process:

1. Metal surfaces are thoroughly cleaned
2. Powder coating is applied with an electrostatic (or corona) gun. Thanks to the magic of molecular physics, the electrically charged powder sticks to the metal object.
3. The object is baked at about 400 degrees Fahrenheit, which causes the powder to melt into a uniform film.
4. The object is cooled, turning the film into a hard coating.

Many thanks to Derek, Dave, and Juan at Portland Powder Coating for patiently educating us on the process over the years—and for producing such consistent, high quality work!

Powder Coating 101

Our Sand Springs, Oklahoma project required a serious powder coating (preceded by some serious prep work, as pictured above), so we’ve spent a lot of time with our powder coating guys over the past few weeks.

Why powder coat? Glad you asked. Powder coating is a process we highly prefer on our large-scale projects. It’s an industrial-grade coating that’s applied as a dry powder and then cured under heat to form a “skin” that, once dry, is much tougher and more durable than conventional paint.

Since powder coating doesn't require a solvent, it has several advantages, both environmental and aesthetically over good old paint:

• It produces practically no waste, since overspray can be recycled
• It emits practically no volatile organic compounds
• It produces much less hazardous waste
• It creates a thicker coating without running or sagging
• It creates a uniform finish, especially between horizontally and vertically coated surfaces

The downsides? Well, it costs more than paint. And it's not necessarily convenient to schlep stuff across town to our powder coaters. But all that is relatively inconsequential considering the high-quality finish it adds to our projects. And that makes the perfectionists around here happy.

Fragile

If Matt looks a little fatigued, just blame the 600-pound crate he and Ben just hefted (er...pushed/dragged/inched) across the shop. It'll be en route to Sand Springs, Oklahoma tomorrow!

Healthcare Design Magazine

The current issue of Healthcare Design Magazine highlights the Rapides Women's and Children's Hospital, and it happens to mention the 30-foot mobile we made for their renovated lobby.

The article mentions that one goal of the lobby's redesign was to create a fun and whimsical feel. Call us biased, but adding an enormous colorful mobile into the mix certainly doesn't hurt the fun and whimsical factor!

Read the article

Trial Run

We just completed a trial run of the pipe project for the Sand Springs, Oklahoma high school. We can't decided which it resembles more—wind chimes or a pipe organ.

Tight Quarters

The other day, we picked up materials for the Sand Springs, Oklahoma project.

And all that pipe now occupies a chunk of valuable real estate in our shop.