Ultralight Structure Slide Show
Ultralight Structure Project Description
As an artist
I create pieces of furniture and sculpture to explore the aesthetic effect of
shape and boundaries and function. The
construction processes of architecture and transportation infrastructure frequently
influence my designs. I am attracted to
the aesthetics of efficiency found in engineered works and I find beauty in the
lines of structural necessity. Through
the use of materials previously unexplored in my work new ideas are generated
and new forms soon follow. In these explorations
I employ synthetic fabrics and skin on frames structural systems, frequently
used in aircraft and lightweight boats, to search for a greater understanding
of the relationship of structure, surface and shape in studio furniture.
This series is an exploration of a material and a technique I have never before used. Taking a cue from structural engineering, the bones of this piece are assembled using pin joints and triangulation resulting in an extremely light weight and durable frame, similar to a box beam turned on end. The skin is made of Dacron, a synthetic heat shrink fabric typically used in aircraft and high end ultra light kayaks. The resulting light weight volume was balanced with a mass of solid plywood and represents the economy of efficiency found in engineering scaled to relate to the human body.
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Box Beam
2012
7" x 24" x 61"
Dacron, Ash, Plywood
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Air Frame
2012
6" x 28" x 88"
Dacron, Ash, Plywood
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Shelter for Longship
2012
34" x 43" x 94"
Dacron, Ash, Plywood
Beach Buggy Lounge Project Description
The Beach Buggy Lounge stems from a restoration project. I made use of a seating component from a previous, abandoned, project and reconfigured it to serve a new purpose in a new work. A new steel support structure was bent and welded to the original seat form, but instead of feet designed to sit on the floor, fat pneumatic wheels and broad disks were utilized to provide function in a beach environment. A front arm serves as a foot rest and handle for rolling the Buggy over sand. The curved Fir frame and Dacron skin create a light weight and adjustable shade for protection from sun and wind while also providing a small degree of privacy. The Beach Buggy Lounge is the first piece in a new line of work involving mobile structures and exploring the liminal privacy created by temporary shelters.
Buggy Lounge was built to be a mobile environment, a rolling sun shelter and lounge chair for me to bring to the beach. With an adjustable roof, a new head rest, and a better handle, it serves very well in that capacity. Buggy Lounge is an evolving piece, now in its third variation, as pieces have been added to it and cut away. I couldn’t keep my hands off of the tools long enough for design work to get past the doodle stage. But Buggy Lounge has always been more about action, and working intuitively and directly in material. Sometimes, just occasionally, you need to put the pencils down and build something.
Buggy Lounge was built to be a mobile environment, a rolling sun shelter and lounge chair for me to bring to the beach. With an adjustable roof, a new head rest, and a better handle, it serves very well in that capacity. Buggy Lounge is an evolving piece, now in its third variation, as pieces have been added to it and cut away. I couldn’t keep my hands off of the tools long enough for design work to get past the doodle stage. But Buggy Lounge has always been more about action, and working intuitively and directly in material. Sometimes, just occasionally, you need to put the pencils down and build something.
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