Space? Time?

sand81

The terms ‘space’ and ‘time’ leave me feeling hollow. Even when strung together in the mock highbrow space-time-continuum, the words themselves lack resonance, especially considering the ideas they represent are supposed to be the fundamental, if least understood, building blocks of the universe. The more I think about it, the more it seems possible that neither exist at all and that the words trap us into a narrow way of thinking; that the words are merely proxies for something else altogether. betway

I suggest we abandon the words space and time until someone can prove their existence, and make a fresh start by coming up with a new explanation, hopefully one with a more prosaic name.

sand80

//

SPARK: Ene’s Installation Dispatch

_3 MURALS OVERVIEW sml

Three of the four mosaic murals comprising Spark.

We recently finished installing SPARK, a series of four 9′ x 12′ mosaic murals integrated into the walls of the planetarium at Chabot College in Hayward, CA. Symbolizing the spark of inspiration, of creativity and insight fostered through education at the college, the artwork also evokes the cosmos and spirit of scientific inquiry.

_RED MURALsml

_RED DETAILsml

Spark, detail

The murals are created from thousands of pieces of hand-cut glass, iridescent glass and mirror. The work explores the expressive potential of mosaic, with the purpose of creating intensely colorful, reflective  compositions that shift character as the light changes. At the beginning of the day, the gold highlights are most prominent in the red mural, but at dusk the iridescent blue details emerge.

_BLUE DETAILsml

_MULTI DETAIL 2 sml

Spark, details

Culminating close to two years worth of design, planning and fabrication, the installation experience was exhilarating. Faculty, students and staff were so enthusiastic, it reminded me of why we commit ourselves to working in the public realm. One morning during the installation, a custodian came by the site at 8 AM; “I’ve worked on this campus for 20 years, and I’ve been waiting for something like this; I will love seeing these murals every day,” he shared. Scott Hildreth, a professor who teaches  in the planetarium, came by with a box of donuts for us on the very first day of our work on site; he later returned with his wife and children, who each added  pieces to the mosaics.

Heartfelt thanks to Alexandra Blatteis for her skill, patience, and sense of humor as she worked closely with me throughout this commission.

plain planetarium

Planetarium at Chabot College (prior to installation).

To read more about the development of Spark, click here and scroll down.

Special thanks to all those who contributed:
Diane Zuliani
Gary Goss &  Dave (G4 Fabrication Design & Consulting, LLC)
Henry Eakland
Debbie Bakal
Susan Ensign
Bonnie Volk
Samantha Blatteis
John Blatteis

Wood/Bank/Barn

stacking wood1

A barn full of beautiful wood, carefully laid up to dry, is better than money in the bank.

I’ve never really studied economic theory, but imagine there’s an odd relationship/kinship between miserliness and greed. ivermectin tablets for sale online Suffice it to say I learned firsthand over the past week how one might give way to the other, in predictable order.

In the course of single-handedly stacking over 1000 board feet of premium wood I had recently milled, aided only by gravity, levers and rolling bars, I loaded my barn and felt a sense of pride bordering on prosperity. I’ve never been interested in money or accumulation, but the simple act of loading the barn with my own hands shifted my perspective. bimectin ivermectin ingredients My new pile of wood drying in the barn might as well be bars of gold, and will likely increase in value at an exponentially greater rate. para que sirve el quanox gotas

//

Suddenly

suddenly2

A glimpse of the deck and cockpit of ‘Suddenly’, our 1978 Hunter 25 sailboat.

Suddenly is the name of our new sailboat, a 1978 Hunter 25 docked at a convenient slip in the Berkeley Marina. The boat is aptly named, for like so many things worth the wait, no matter how well-reasoned and researched the quest, the decision to take the plunge often happens quite suddenly. We’ll be using her as an urban extension of the wowhaus studio, as a family sailing lab for excursions on the Bay and into the Delta, a place to meet with friends and clients and as a tiny apartment for the occasional overnight.

suddenly1

The cabin is ample but minimal, and sleeps five in spartan comfort.

Most significantly, Suddenly will function as a kind of muse for the wowhaus studio and our ever-increasing range of work in art and design in the public sphere. As we continue to build out our studio compound on the rural Sonoma Coast, our over-lapping projects require a near constant flow of new ideas. Experience has taught us that in order to maintain focus and to keep things fresh and fun, sometimes innovation requires a muse.


Spark Murals Installed

spark4

Ene and Ali get ready to grout the four 9′ x 12′ glass mosaic murals comprising Spark.

Ene and Ali have been working with a small crew installing our Spark mural project at Chabot College in Hayward.  Comprised of a sequence of four 9′ x 12′ mosaic murals in colorful hand-cut glass, the project evokes the ‘spark’ of inspiration, and is permanently affixed to the school’s octagonal Planetarium. Ene has done a beautiful job managing this project and she and Ali have produced some truly magical murals that are sure to become a beloved feature of the Chabot Community College campus. 05 ivermectin dosage for cats

spark5

spark1

spark3

Be sure to look for the full story from Ene when she completes the installation. Meanwhile, to read more about the background of our Spark Project, please click here and scroll down.

//

Fluke Installation

whale tail delivery

We carried the Fluke sculpture into position with a giant forklift. (photo: Crystal Birns)

With a big sense of relief and the pride of accomplishment, Ene and I installed our Fluke sculpture earlier this week at the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center in Santa Cruz. Piero and his crew from Artworks Foundry delivered the 13′ bronze whale tail, carefully carried it into position, drilled holes in the footing to receive four threaded stainless steel rods, filled the holes with epoxy and lowered the sculpture into position. The sculpture will remain covered until the Exploration Center opens this summer.

Next week Dave Pettigrew will sandblast the curvaceous concrete hardscape surrounding Fluke, then grind the sections containing embedded glass, making a colorful, sparkly backdrop to the sculpture. We will return to photograph the completed piece, and look forward to seeing the building and its innovative exhibitions fully occupy the site, which promises to become a major Santa Cruz destination. ???? ??????

fluke installed2

Piero adjusts the straps to ensure a vertical drop. ???? ???? ???

fluke installed1

The Fluke sculpture looks great at the entrance to the building. ???? ????????? bwin

To read more about the development of Fluke, please click here and scroll down.

//

Milling the Valley Oak

felta oak3

Shawn trims the ends of the felled trunk before quartering the log.

I met my friend Shawn Gavin at the old Felta School near Healdsburg the other day to mill a Valley Oak. I had purchased the log from the school after it was felled for safety concerns last September, and have been eager to see what the wood looks like. ivexterm 6 mg como se toma I plan to make a batch of my Deep Deck from the wood after it air dries for about a year, having successfully prototyped a small production run in American Elm. The plan is to make different versions of the deck in different woods from locally-grown, hand-milled logs, each tree telling a different story whose provenance is reflected in each series of decks. how to administer ivermectin horse paste to rats

medullary rings

Section of an oak showing medullary rays.

The Valley Oak (Quercus lobata) is a true white oak native to California’s hot interior valleys. Like its eastern cousin Quercus alba, the Valley Oak has large medullary rays that make an interesting pattern while adding strength to the wood when it is ‘quarter sawn’ from the log. The medullary rays radiate from the center of the tree to the sapwood to carry nutrients, so they run across the wood’s annular rings. When boards are cut from the log with the annular rings perpendicular to the face, they are called ‘quarter sawn’, and the medullary rays, or ‘silver rays’ are exposed. moxidectin vs ivermectin in cats If the milled boards are carefully stickered in stacks with good air circulation, the grain orientation and slow curing will add to the strength and stability of the wood, ideal for my innovative Deep Deck design.

felta oak4

The ends are trimmed and sealed with wax.

felta oak6

The log is cut in half lengthwise along the log’s primary ‘heart shake’.

felta oak7

The quarters are cut perpendicular to the heart shake, along the center of the tree.

felta oak9

Quarters are loaded onto the mill to be squared and milled into boards cut perpendicular to the annular rings.

felta oak13

Milling goes fast with Shawn’s expertise and hydraulic Wood-Mizer. The two of us processed a 4’d x 10’l log into about 1100 board feet of quarter-sawn lumber in just 13 hours, including loading and delivering the material to the wowhaus studio.

felta oak11

Even when rough-cut, the medullary rays are visible, so characteristic of quarter-sawn white oak.

//