GSS Fabrication
http://www.gssfabrication.org/2
(The image above isn’t mine- I borrowed it from the GSS website as I was too excited during my tour to remember to take a photo)
KelsenTechnical LTD
http://www.kelsen.co.uk/
Scott Associates Sculpture and Design
https://www.sculptureanddesign.com/
Old school fabrications
http://oldschoolfabrications.co.uk/
There are numerous existing websites that do an excellent job of explaining the set up of each of these fabrication houses, and many other, so I will try to avoid repeating any of that in this blog. Likewise for future posts that relate to fab facility research visits. I will however note a few things not included in those online resources that have been of particular interest.
GSS had a lot more technology driven processes than I expected, alongside the more manually operated plethora of tools, machinery and facilities. CAD is king when you are into perverse levels of accuracy and efficiency.
As you’d imagine, any business that continues to develop and succeed over time positions itself within a landscape of other businesses offering similar or complimentary services. During my visits to each of the four fab houses, I discovered at least one recent case in which they had some kid of involvement with one of the other three. This might be in the form of one team installing a work on a particular site because they are better placed to do so than the team that produced the object. Another example would be outsourcing a particular process as part of a larger build. Therefore keeping the operations at both ends of the job efficient and allowing the general workflow at each facilities headquarters moving smoothly. Cooperation makes things possible, keeps the client happy and creates a network in which each facilities specialism/setup can compliment the others. It also helps when each team is really good at what they do and maintain excellent communication with all parties involved.
Making small and extremely accurate things for other people is hard, so I’m told- and I believe it. I spend a bit of time around the steel profiling industry, scrounging materials and basically any kind of service I can access for free. My works that are made within/from matter found within this industry have never really been highly polished or accurate in terms of a specific design. They are allowed to be as the material/environment is, rough, robust and a bit filthy. Any kind of gentler action resulting in more intimate and polished work is generally carried out one, two or ten steps removed from this environment, in my studio. Although nothing excites me more than matter that has been knocked about by large industrial scale forces, I have had a glorious slap in the face this week with facilities to produce the most accurately designed/fabricated objects. Almost repellingly spot on. Maybe that says more about my approach to wrangling material than anything.
Time to embrace both sides of the coin?
