Dirty Jobs: Mobile Making

Somebody call Mike Rowe, because this Furman Hall project could make a good Dirty Jobs episode. The mobile incorporates polished copper rings, and the process we're using requires us to polish aluminum, which will later be treated with a copper finish. Anyhow, the polishing process requires grinding away at aluminum, and it's been absolutely filthy.

As you can see below, Matt and Ben created a tent to try keeping the aluminum particles contained, but enough has escaped to layer aluminum dust across the entire shop. And Matt's poor shoes will never be the same.

But. At least the polished rings are looking lovely.

Furman Hall Mobile Renderings

Here are a few renderings of the mobile we're making for Oregon State University's Furman Hall:

Ben created these renderings by dropping images of the mobile onto actual photographs of the space he and Matt took at a recent site visit. We're so proud of Ben, our resident University of Oregon grad, for burying the University Rival hatchet for this project.

A Mobile for Oregon State University

Here's what we'll be focused on for the next two months:

This mobile will hang in the newly renovated Furman Hall at Oregon State University. It will hang 36 feet tall and 7 feet wide, with 16 freely rotating polished copper rings. We're excited about the scope of this project—and that it's local!

Nash Hospital Ceiling Sculpture

We've mentioned a few times that we've been working on a cloud-inspired ceiling sculpture for the atrium of North Carolina hospital. We're happy to report that it's all installed. Matt and Ben travelled to the East Coast last week for the installation, and they worked through the night, completing the installation at about 4:30 a.m.

Matt woke up later that morning to this happy text from the client: "The mobile is amazing. I knew it was going to be special but it is beyond that. I am truly speechless. Thank you is not enough!"

Shucks. That kind of feedback makes mobile making totally worth the sleepless nights.

Wall Sculpture Installation

Matt and Ben completed their latest project last Thursday—a static sculpture that crawls from wall to ceiling in the lobby of a brand-new affordable housing development right here in Portland. The piece is made of reclaimed wood slabs, and it spans 10 feet wide by about 10 feet tall.

Here's a before shot of the space:

During:

And—ta da!—the final piece (completed, in true Ekko fashion, in the middle of the night):

Another Local Project!

We have mobiles and sculptures hanging all over the world, but only two in our hometown of Portland. So we're super excited to be working on a third local project! This one is for the lobby area of an affordable housing development.

Due to space constraints, we determined that a static wall/ceiling sculpture would work better than a kinetic sculpture, so we'll be using an empty wall and ceiling space above the residents' mailboxes to create this piece:

We'll use reclaimed wood pieces, which will add warmth to the space and tie in nicely with wood accents in the lobby.  We'll be completing the installation in a couple of weeks, so stay tuned for updates!