I am beginning to remember why I promised myself about 9 months ago never to build big structures in wood. Yet, I find myself in the middle of a project that consists of constructing an 8 meter (in diameter) spiral.
All main projects (except the drawing, which is my end-of-day ritual) have been finished and I have cleared out the bigger studio to focus on this project. I have a little project in the smaller studio, of building an emerald city but this involves lots of gluing and waiting so it is easy to do at the same time.
The big project is mathematically confusing as it is a spiral. It has 5 entrance points leading to a central meeting place. The structure is similar to a whirlwind and concepts stem from the idea of “everybody sees the wind blow”. It uses the zigzag structure that I have been playing with and will contain five electric fans. It holds similar traits to the work I have done with suitcases, as it is all contractible. Fingers crossed, the structure in flat pack should be 60cm by 60cm by 120cm and fully constructed 800cm by 800cm by 180cm. The piece (if it is structural sound and if I can finish it) will be exhibited in the courtyard at L’h du Siege for my open studio days (13th and 14th of June). With hindsight, I think that I obviously can not resist the temptation of making something big and with the convenience of living next to the studio and the site… it is all (as mentioned before) inevitable. I feel attuned to the language of sculptural installation that requests the audience to participate. I find that when I am trying to grasp the ideas that I really believe in, this format fits with my abilities and gets me closer to expressing the things that other languages can’t.
Time is ridiculously tight with this project and although I have had the excellent help of Bernard today, I am worried about the deadlines I have set for myself. I have some pre-planned adventures to attend over the next weeks which I think leaves me 5 whole working days to complete the project. But there is no real pressure, so I am not losing any sleep, just getting very excited.
