We have been keeping a blog since 2008. It is a chronological listing of many topics related to Wood that Works. You will find information about sculptures, inspirations, other artists, day to day life in the shop. The topics are many and fascinating. If you are an avid follower of David's work we encourage you to subscribe to this blog to receive the regular updates.
A collector brought to our attention a surprise sculpture hike in southern New Hampshire and we took a July morning to explore. The Andres Institute of Art, located in Brookline, NH, is a unique place combining art, education, technology and the outdoors. The collected effort of many has created a 140 acre sculpture park hugging the side of Bear Mountain. There is an interesting history at their website.
Winding, wooded trails are open to the public although I recommend going to their website and downloading the map because there were none available onsite. Here are several of the many photographs David and I took as we hiked around the grounds which included an old quarry.
The sculptures were created in the studio on the mountain during sculpture symposiums. I expect many used the local rock resources.
I have uploaded additional photos of other sculptures on our Flickr site here. If you are ever visiting that corner of New England stop and enjoy the hike!
Applied Kinetic Arts is a very diverse group of artists making many different kinds on sculpture and art. The diversity and background of this group is fascinating along with the works created.
"Applied Kinetic Arts (A.K.A.) is a community of artists working within the medium loosely defined as “kinetic”. Works incorporating motion, light, sound, and interactivity are represented by the group’s ever expanding member base. A.K.A. was founded in 2007 by artists Christopher T. Palmer and Nemo Gould with the intention of raising public awareness of this art form and providing a support network for its members, and others working within the genre." A.K.A. now has 9 members working in many different mediums including:
Nemo Gould: Machining and welding using found objects
For years Marji and I have discussed the large outdoor sculptures we'd like to build. We never had the time. Last year, as we were discussing vacation plans Marji suggested taking a week off, staying home, no "real" work allowed, and building a sculpture. It was one of our best vacations. We decided to turn it into an annual tradition.
We spent the past year collecting and discussing ideas. A few months ago I worked up some 3D sketches with my new favorite 3D program Strata Design 3D. We showed the drawings to our kids and others, made many changes and arrived at a "plan." I put plan in quotes because one of the best parts of this collaborative project are the changes that happen as we start actually building the piece and have to "think on our feet."
The original inspiration was a photo of a sculpture by Elias Wakan. We liked the geometric feel of the sculpture and the way it moved in 3D space and connected back to itself.
We decided to try something like it using 3 inch plastic pipe rather than wood. This was mainly for practical reasons. The pipe is relatively cheap and easy to work but also is impervious to weather elements. We were thinking large in scale and definitely an outdoor sculpture. We also thought plastic pipe would add some flexibility so we could define long curves - more on that in a minute.
The final concept was quite different from the original inspiration as you can see in this animation.
It includes about 120 segments, each 12 inches long bolted together side to side but offset by 1 inch.
Our daughter Karen volunteered to join us on vacation and help with assembly. Work progressed nicely. I designed jigs for cutting and drilling the segments. It was important that the holes lined up precisely and for the most part they did. We assembled 6 foot segments in the shop and then moved to the yard for final assembly. Almost immediately we realized that these were far more flexible than planned. We all realized that in fact this was a wonderful feature, not a problem at all. A new sculpture concept was formed.
We joined all the segments into a 35 foot long chain and started playing as you can see in the video below
The final form for now is shown in the photo series on Flickr. In reality the beauty of this piece is in its flexibility. We can rearrange it on the hillside whenever. I'm sure we'll see lots of variations as time goes by.
I have been playing around with a concept kinetic sculpture using four of my White Water modules to create a double cascade falling water environment. The starting point was an approximately 10 foot tall by 6 foot wide dark green wall. Here is where to concept stands right now.
Del (YouTube Handle = Woodificood) is a 71 year old craftsman who enjoys woodworking. Below is an "intricate hand-cranked machine made entirely of wood and glue (no metal or other materials)" that he refers to as his crowing acheivement. What an interesting exploration into kinetic motion
To check out more of Del's work head over to his YouTube page.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010 at 6:26PM 
