This was my internal structure of the form I created. I used CVP pipe, hanging wire, 45 degree elbow braces, nuts, and bolts to create the design. I made two asymmetrical triangles and connected them at the bottom of the form. The top was separated by an 11 inch rod of screw threads to add a 3D element to the form.
I used 5 pipes each at 12' long. The two shorter sides where cut at 5' and 6' while the longest side was left at its original 12' length. The corner was secured together with a 45 degree elbow brace, PCP pipe glue, and hanging wire to help maintain the tension.
For each connection point, I drilled holes (32 holes in total) in the CVP pipes and used screws with 2 nuts on each side of the pipe to stabilize the form. I tightened the screws to create the bowed effect. I would have liked for the bow to be more exaggerated but the tension was too great that the more I bowed the pipe the more it tried to bow back out creating an "S" form instead of an arch.
I spent a lot of time taking the form apart and putting the form back together to create an asymmetrical design that felt organic and unusual. I was surprised to see how the form could change so drastically depending on the angle degrees, its orientation as vertical or horizontal, as well as if the form was hanging on lying on the ground.
These three photos show how I incorporated my conceptual idea into this abstract form. As I mentioned in the previous blog, I was really inspired by the micro creating the macro and I knew I wanted to cover the form using this idea.
I used 90 yards of black Satin ribbon to French braid around the poles to create the micro detailing. Gravity, slippery ribbon, time, and the arch all become problems hindering my craftsmanship. It turns out that a braid does not work well when constantly required to shrink and expand in width to cover the arch/ triangle form. I also wanted to highlight the 3D design element of the separate triangles that came together at the bottom requiring a six-braid as I approached the poles tied together. In order to make the craftsmanship as smooth as possible, I tried multiple techniques to stabilize the ribbon from falling. I tired sewing each ribbon individually, lightly gluing the ribbon to the pole, using scotch tape as a fastener, as well as increasing the tension of the braid. None of these techniques sufficed because when you adjust one stand, the whole braid is affected creating tension and problems in another area. The whole braiding process took a total of 30 hours over the course of 3 days in an effort to finish the project in a timely manner.
With all of the frustrations that were caused, I wish I could say that I am happy with the result but the flaws of the braid are really evident to my perfectionist eye; however, I am proud of myself for sticking with the process despite the heartache is caused. With more time, 3 pairs of hands, and the fact that I learned from my hardships, I think I could have accomplished the final result I was striving for.
I do believe that the braid emphasized the conceptual approach I was trying to show in this piece. From a distance the black satin looks like black paneling (a macro image) but the detailing up close is very different from a solid panel of fabric (the micro element) highlighting the symbiotic relationship of the two ideas.
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