Current Work

Tangle for Birch Point, J-Line. This object is made from over 150 feet of continuously wrapped steel. It will sit at the waters edge, catching between two trees. It is 8.5 feet tall and weighs over 1000 pounds. It will be connected to the rest of the J-Line after it emerges from the lake. (photo by Thomas Heinser)

Knot, detail of test section for J-Line.

This knot was made as a test for forging methods before starting the rest of the sculpture. The material is solid 1 by 2 inch weatherproof steel. Once hot, it is twisted and bent into form using custom tooling. It is shown on the lawn of the residence in upstate NY where the full project will be installed next spring.

Trying out the standing rings. When installed they will rest on the ground and support themselves because of their attachment to the rest of the line.

Custom tools made for J-Line forging.

The first set of tools made for bending and twisting.

Tunnel forge custom built for the project by Chile Forge. The system is able to evenly heat four foot sections of material for bending. It also separates into two forges which allows for more flexibility when working with tighter radiuses.

Forging rings.

Rings on the studio floor during fabrication.

Clamping process before welding.

Tight bends on two inch pins.

Wrapping bar around a custom form.

A torch is used to maintain or focus heat when bending.

When material can not be put back in the forge for heating, a temporary enclosure is built around the piece. Then, the forge burners are removed and used as torches for this process.

Twisting.

Finalizing a wrap for one of the rings.

Sample of standing form with collaborator Peter Schifrin.

Some of the samples before shipping.

Unloading our box of samples. The steel cladding on the lower portion of the building is the same material used for the sculpture.

Sample showing how the line will interact with some of the trees on the property.

Sample showing a zig-zag section of the line that can be walked on like a balance beam.

Knot model for J-Line project. This scale model was used to make tooling for the full size version. The two vertical rods represent a pair of Birch trees on the edge of the lake. Once the line emerges from the water it gets tangled and then snagged between the two trees.

Forms being made to wrap the loops of the big knot around. One of ten shown.

Patterns used while building the custom forms for bending the loops of the large knot.

Chalk layout drawing for J-Line sample.

Working map of the project. Not to scale.