once, again

Once, again
2008-09
3.3 x 13.7 meters
Powder coated Aluminium, stainless steel

The course is common,
experience parallel,
unaccompanied
mutually.
Incidents are recurrent,
formerly known,
remembered
new.
Realisation is experience,
found
Once, again.


“On those stepping into rivers the same,
other and other waters flow.”
Herakleitos (c.535BC – 475BC)

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Secreted away, within the cavernous entrance of the Northbridge Building a new work has been slowly growing out of the wall.

Once, Again is a culmination of the hard work of many people.

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I would like to express my thanks to:

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Rockpress (Rocklea Pressed metal)

Peerless Powdercoat

Positive Solutions (Mr Benjiman Hampe)

Neilson Properties

Andrew Baker Art Dealer

Donovan Hill Architects

Ian Barnes and Associates Engineering

Brisbane City Council

Hutchinson Builders

Mr Leonard Brown

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The building is still in the final stages of completion but the lane way in which the work is situated (between Tank and Tubot Streets Brisbane) is now open to pedestrian traffic.

Field of Vision pt2

Alongside the large relief in gallery 2 the exhibition continues in gallery 1 with 5 stainless steel mesh sculptures. The notion of field can be interpreted as literally a vast plain, as a subject of enquiry or occupation, a theory of bodies in space, or a mathematical equation. Visual and physical phenomenon are my primary fields of occupation. These new wire works are the evidence of my experience and experimentation within that field. Experience influences structure, structure influences form, material influences structure, the environment influences appearance...etc. Continuing with the notion of architectural scale, these works relate to the human body (a dimension of architecture), the scale of the works and space they occupy heightening awareness of the viewers scale in relation to the work and that of the architecture in which they are housed. They are almost inhabitable but inaccessible due to their closed structure. all works are 2009



'Interloper' and 'Array'







'Array' and 'atmospheric perspective'



'knot withstanding'



'Interloper'



'which the I saw'







'atmospheric perspective'

field of vision continues until the 27th of June 2007
Institute of Modern Art
Brunswick Street
Fortitude Valley
Queensland
10:00am - 5:00pm Tuesday - Sunday
open until 8:00pm Thursday

the making of

Imperfect Pattern L (Field of vision)
2009
2.2m X 4.4m X 8.8m
Hand-cut coreflute.

Late 2008 I was invited to produce work for a show at the Institute of Modern Art, Fortitude Valley QLD. The Imperfect pattern series that I have been working on since 2002 had reached
number 49, it seemed appropriated to expand number 50 into a scale worthy of this milestone. An alternative material was needed to achieve this scale, I had been thinking about a way to use coreflute plastic for some time. With the assistance of Akiko Yamasaki and the financial assistance of the IMA a monumental jigsaw of 5880 pieces, covering an area of 68m2 has been realised. The work is able to be assembled and disassembled again and again allowing for it to be relocated at a later date, its modular structure allows for the work to be reoriented to suit different architectural spaces. I hope that the work will travel to other public galleries over the coming years.




The coloured pieces were cut roughly to size using a guillotine. Later the angles were cut by hand, each piece scored, folded and sorted. there are 54 various pieces in four colours + 10 various large white pieces.



A regional residency at the IMA was available concurrent with the preparations for the exhibition, I was lucky enough to be successful with my application. The installation of the work took 6 days (I thought it might take 3), the residency made this protracted and exhausting event a little less problematic.



There is method in the madness.















Every different view of the work creates a new dynamic, new planes are revealed others are hidden. The transparency of the material mixes the colours creating new tones, the coloured planes reflect onto the white creating half tones, shadows complicate the pattern and confuse the eye.

colour

The first delivery of components arrives at Peerless Powdercoaters.
These red pieces are the only part of the work that is in contact with the supporting wall. The plates will be anchored with 144 stainless steel rods embedded into the wall and secured with 144 red dome nuts.



Dexterity and patience.



Prior to the application of powder all of the components are cleaned, washed, etched and washed again.



Powdercoating is a surprisingly clean process, the object is earthed, the powder has a negative charge.



These pieces will be baked at around 180-200 deg. C then a second coat (clear anti-graffiti) will be applied and they will be baked a second time.
This is the first of five colours, 16 of the 226 pieces to be coated.

The final fitting

Each module consists of 15 blades, the seven blades on each side of the 'spine' blade are fed onto 18 stainless steel tubes which are fastened to the spine blade. Each blade is separated with a nylon washer, the last blade is secured with bolts that thread into the tube.

A perfect fit!

The mirror surface of the aluminium creating the appearance of transparency, ideas for future work appear. In time the aluminium surface would dull with oxidization unless it was endlessly polished, but...

Once the pieces are welded the welds are ground back, the bolt holes in the external blades are counter sunk and all sharp corners are removed in preparation for powder-coating.

Welding

It was necessary to cut each full blade in two pieces as the laser cutting machine has a maximum sheet size of 3m. In order to disguise the welds they have replaced what would have been a fold. The folded angle is CNC controlled the welding angle is not.



The central 'spine' pieces have 2 X 12mm plates attached at the back for fastening each module to the wall (that's why they stand so proud)



The tentative arrangement of one module.

Fold

Once cut the pieces are folded to angles varying from 15.5 to 60 degrees.





My image of a paper Marquette becomes something more tangible.





The shift from 2 to 3 dimensions is quite remarkable, a flat plane reaches into space.





The journey continues, the pieces make their way to the welders.

the primary ingredient

'ONCE, AGAIN' the process of overseeing the manufacturing of a work for a public space has begun. From early February Rocklea Pressed Metal (Rockpress) have been working on the component parts for 'ONCE, AGAIN'. This involves the cutting of the 480 pieces (32 variations) of 6mm marine grade aluminium.



Laser cut pieces



Beautiful scrap



The pile half full

Spin

Spin focuses on works from the QUT Art Collection that actively engage with visual perception and optical effects.

13 January to 1 March 2009

The exhibition features works by Alun Leach-Jones, Colin Lanceley, David Rose, David Ryan, David Turner, Eduardo Paolozzi, Gloria Petyarre, Jimmy Pike, Joe Felber, Joe Tilson, Larry Rivers, Leslie Dumbrell, Liz Edwards, Marc Pascal, Robert Morris, Sol LeWitt, Victor Vasarely, Lincoln Austin and Leonard Brown.

Curated by Simone Jones
Presented by QUT art museum

an oldie but a goodie

I have just recieved a photograph of a work from 2005 that I did not have a reproduction of. 'if I ruled the world', plastic rulers and galvanised wire, 30cm3. An old favourite.

Drawing with shadows

Over the last two Sundays I have been running a workshop at the Queensland Art Gallery for 4 - 12 year olds. The kids were invited to make drawings without pencils or paint; to draw with light and shadow, using white paper, scissors and glue. I have had a lot of fun; here are the results from last Sunday (including a few examples made by myself:

studio visit continued (the shed)

My new louvre windows, in anticipation of a summer breeze.



Off-cutts from bale, around about and pieces of alabaster awaiting their turn for transformation into ???









Work has begun on the first of four parts that make up 'openended' a piece that is to be installed into the third floor lounge area of the new Ipswich Courthouse late February 2009.
The first part has 348 pieces.